


To Fight Monsters, We Created Monsters

by MyThoughtBubbles



Category: Naruto, Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Bijuus go ow, Different Nationalities, Drift Compatibility, Ghost Drifting, Jaeger vs Bijuu action, Jaegers (Pacific Rim), Jaegers go pew pew, M/M, Mental bonds, Minor Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Naruto wants Sasuke to bone him, Naruto-centric - Freeform, SasuNaru - Freeform, The Kaijus are Bijuus, This was for fun, solo masturbation, virtual fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-26
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-03 12:52:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 31,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5291585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyThoughtBubbles/pseuds/MyThoughtBubbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world ravaged by monstrous creatures known as Bijuus, cadet Naruto Uzumaki is struggling to find a suitable partner who can withstand and help control his unstable brainwaves in order to protect his home by piloting an equally as monstrous robot called a Jaeger. Meeting a certain Ranger turns his luck around and allows him to become the Pilot he's meant to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting of the Minds

**Author's Note:**

> This fic draws heavily from the movie, and my own adjustments; if you’re unfamiliar with the world, you might have some trouble understanding concepts. Grab your own Jaeger and read on!
> 
> Disclaimers: Pacific Rim and all associated characters and creations belong to Guillermo del Toro & Travis Beacham. Lines from the novelization by Alex Irvine are intended solely for entertainment and accuracy. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto & TV Tokyo.
> 
> Beta'd By the marvelous Miasen

“OUT OF ALIGNMENT. CODE RED,” a robotic disembodied voice called out over the intercom and into the control mezzanine, alerting the personnel working inside.

“Naruto! You’re breaking off again!” Iruka Umino warned over the microphone, staring at the twenty-year-old blond from a holographic screen projected in front of him. He frowned as the once regular and stable line of connected brain waves turned jagged and unbalanced in the corner of the hologram, indicating misalignment in the neural connection between the two men inside the Conn-Pod. The pilots were disconnecting and were currently unable to attach enough to control the Jaeger properly. Tapping a few keys on the switchboard that curved around him, he tried to help the boy calm his mind but the disruption was too great to regain control.

“Hold on, I’m trying!” Naruto shouted, sweating in exertion as he tried to reign in his thoughts and allow for him and his Co-pilot to merge minds and control the giant robot they were presently standing in. Gritting his teeth, it felt like someone was driving an ice pick into his head. It hurt. It didn’t help that his partner was barely trying to fight the onslaught that were his brainwaves.

Unable to regain the connection, he signaled for the brunet outside to cancel the stimulation, opening his eyes as everything around him began to shut off and power down.

“DRIFT SEQUENCE TERMINATED.” The robotic voice appeared again, announcing the change to all outside the Jaeger.

“Fuck, not again,” Naruto groaned out, frustrated that he once again couldn’t connect with Sai. He reached up and dragged his hands over his face, his body thrumming in agitation. It was getting harder and harder each time to even attempt to connect for more than a few seconds. Pressing his lips together tightly, he waited for the raven to say something like he knew he would.

Sai tugged off the helmet and shook his head, unsticking his black bangs. He was breathing heavily, his face creased in tell-tale signs of pain. He often faced the whiplash of a faulty connection. “Don’t worry Naruto, you’ll find someone who can drift with you. One day.” A fake, plastic smile slid on Sai’s pale, sweaty face, seemingly ignorant of Naruto's rising temper. The raven then glanced over at the portal in back of the room that hissed open, clearing an exit.

“If you could stay in the drift, we wouldn’t be having this problem,” Naruto growled, pulling off his own helmet and disengaging from the harness attaching him to the Jaeger. The metal links clicked as he tugged them off his wrists and pulled his feet from the clamps. Sai did the same, detaching and walking over to the opened gateway door leading outside of the Jaeger head.

“Actually Naruto, Sai was in complete control. You’re the one who lost it and bled over to him.”

Naruto kept silent, looking down at the ground as the mission controller for his sector and his close friend, Iruka, came into the Conn-Pod, nodding at Sai and frowning at the blond.

“If he can’t control his emotions and memories, Naruto shouldn’t be in a Jaeger,” Sai supplied helpfully, attempting to be consoling towards his partner. He smiled again, closing his eyes and tilting his head. “It’s not safe.”

“Sai, you can go back to your room. We’ll talk later.” Iruka sighed, giving Naruto a sharp look to keep him from lashing out at the other man. As the raven left, Iruka placed a hand on Naruto’s shoulder and gently tugged him out of the Conn-Pod and into the Drivesuit room where all Pilots were immediately fitted with their gear the moment they entered. He helped the blond disengage from his battle armor along with a few technicians that popped into the room upon their arrival. The white armor was snapped off of him and carefully placed in position on the wall in the foam cut out of Naruto’s body.

The room was filled with the sounds of Konoha Green’s engines and turbines powering down and the whirr of drills from the technicians. 

“I’m not going to be able to pilot a Jaeger, am I?” Naruto asked dejectedly as he peeled off the thin circuitry suit that stuck like a second skin. “The only one who I was drift compatible with was with Sai, and even then, our compatibility score was really low.” He looked up at the mission controller, his azure eyes wide and miserable. “I can’t graduate from cadet to Ranger.”

Iruka hesitated, uncertainty on his face. He held out a hand, trying to soothe the blond. “I—”

The sorrow rapidly morphed into anger. The blond looked away, his gaze hard. “Fuck!” Naruto yelled, stomping out of the room once his armor had been fully removed and stored. Ignorant of his state of dress, he stormed into his room in the bunker for his Jaeger crew. Tugging off his sweaty undershirt, he tossed it onto his bed and stood in nothing but his skin tight boxers that were a requirement with his gear. He wanted to help protect their country from the Bijuus, but without a co-pilot, he was useless. He had the mentality and the capabilities of a top rank Jaeger pilot, but his mind refused to accept just anyone. He had been struggling for years to graduate from a nobody cadet to a somebody Ranger, but his life goal was still out of reach. _It wasn’t fair._

Iruka followed him, closing the door as he entered the room. He turned to the young man, understanding his anger. “Naruto, listen to me.”

“What for? You’re just going to tell me what I already know. I’m going to be stripped of my title as an upcoming Ranger and forced to work in the LOCCENT, right? Telling other people what to do and sending them to fight….” Naruto sighed heavily, plopping down on his bed and leaning forward. As quickly as it had come, his anger dissipated. “No offense,” he muttered.

Iruka rolled his eyes impatiently. “If you’d let me finish,” he said sternly, “then you’d see that you still are and will be a Pilot. I’m pretty sure I’ve found you a partner.”

Naruto’s head shot up in surprise. A look of pure relief and happiness crossed his face, lighting up his eyes. “Really!? But how? Nobody here is compatible with me. They always get sucked into my thoughts, and then there was that one time that the guy got trapped for a few days and—” he rambled on, the prospect of getting to control a Jaeger making him nervous with excitement.

Iruka cut him off quickly, planting his hand across Naruto’s face. “Due to some shortages in cadets and Rangers here in Tokyo, the government has asked other countries for anyone available. Russia had a few to send and they should be arriving in a couple of days. I contacted the Marshall for their division and told him about you. He said he had a suitable pilot who matched brain patterns and fitness tests.”

The blond pulled off Iruka’s hand. “Russia? They must be good. What position did the one you choose for me have?” Naruto asked eagerly, giving Iruka’s hand a light shake.

Iruka shoved him off, regaining his composure. “If I remember correctly, he worked in perimeter patrol along the Siberian Wall. Due to low compatibility scores with other pilots, he’s in a situation much like your own.”

“Perimeter patrol? Damn.” Naruto whistled, impressed.

The Russian wall that bordered the entire country had the longest record for being untouched by the dangerous Bijuus. Most other walls around the world had been broken and re-broken for years, but remarkably, the Russian Siberian Wall had been standing tall since its construction years ago, intact and impenetrable. It was in a way, legendary.

Naruto contemplated his new partner’s previous work station. That meant that whoever was his future co-pilot was an excellent fighter and was extremely skillful. Giddy to get going and fight, Naruto darted over to his closet and rummaged through it, pulling out several articles of clothing. Slipping them on, he tied on his sneakers, and grabbed his gym bag. Before leaving the room, he turned to the brunet watching him amusedly.

“Oi Iruka, when’s he coming?”

Iruka chuckled, amazed that Naruto could still act like such a child and be almost carefree, even in the times they live in. “He’s due this Friday. And today is Monday,” he cut in, answering Naruto’s question before he even asked it. “Once he gets here, I’ll have to run simulations to gauge just how well-suited he’ll be to be your partner. If all goes well, the next step would be for you and him to spar a bit to learn each other’s body language and then to try turning Green on.”

Naruto nodded rapidly. “Alright!” he cried, running off. If his new partner was as notable as he seemed, then Naruto needed to show that he was no pushover either. He’d need to prove that despite anything the man would likely hear around the base, Naruto was a damn good ranger.

His smile faltered as he contemplated his fellow rangers, but it blew back into full power as he realized how lucky he was. Nothing was holding him back from living his dream.

**xXx**

 Naruto hopped from one foot to the other, raring to fight. Wearing thin shiny metal bracelets that connected to intricate gloves, he wiggled his fingers, twitching. On his feet were similar silver braces, except they wrapped around his ankles and linked with pads on his feet. He had on black shorts and dark purple tee shirt, the logo of his _future_ Jaeger printed on the front. His last name was emblazoned on the back in blocky orange letters.

“C’mon, no one wants to have a go?” he begged the crowd of onlookers, ignoring the distasteful looks they sent him. He stood on the square platform in the fighting stimulation room, a wide holographic screen towering in front of him. To his side, there was a wide round arena with bright lights shining up from the glass floor. PLAYER 1 in red letters was floating in midair, rotating above an exact replica of himself in the arena. He and his double frowned, disappointed. A spinning green PLAYER 2 was floating beside him, indicating the need for another participant.

“Shikamaru, dude, come on. You know you need to practice.” The blond tried to entice one of the few people that talked to him, but it was clear from the other Ranger’s expression that it was useless.

“Knowing you, I’d rather not,” his friend declined. “I’m off to the cafeteria, lemme know if want me to save you anything.” With a lazy wave, Shikamaru left the darkened battle room, weaving his way through the throngs of people who wanted to see a fight.

“Is anyone willing to try me?” He turned back to the crowd. “I’ll even go easy on you,” he whined, knowing he might have scarred a few people from his previous rounds. It was well known that he was deemed volatile, isolating him a pariah. “Fuck you, bunch of pussies,” he growled, hoping to anger one of the idiots to fight him. “I would’ve kicked your ass anyway,” he added in a grumble, dejected. He moved to step off the platform and remove the bracelets when a voice stopped him.

“I’ll take you on.”

Naruto sized up his new challenger, lifting a golden brow in amusement. The raven stepping from the crowd was a bit taller than him, but looked leaner. His skin was almost white, probably from a lack of sunlight and he noted a slight accent in the man’s voice, but couldn’t place it. The crowd behind him suddenly quieted as they all watched in surprise as Naruto got what he wanted.

The man was wearing the standard grey casual track suits given to cadets for off duty work, but Naruto couldn’t remember ever seeing the man before. He was sure he wouldn’t forget someone with such black, bottomless eyes. They almost seemed to mock him... The raven walked to the platform across from him and stepped up, snapping the bracelets on. Once he adjusted them to his wrists and ankles, he nodded at Naruto.

Cracking a wide grin, Naruto nodded and swiped a hand across the hologram screen. He was giddy to show off what he could do and teach this newbie who Naruto Uzumaki was. The lights in the room dimmed further and twin spotlights landed on him and the newcomer. An identical projection of the man materialized in the arena and the green PLAYER 2 signed turned red and disappeared. The room went silence, with only the electronic sounds of the gears whirring.

“ROUND ONE. FIGHT!” a man’s loud voice boomed out. Fast and upbeat electronic music pumped out from the speakers off to the side. Blinking lights set in time to the music flashed rapidly.

Naruto immediately brought his hands up in defense, saw that his opponent hadn’t even moved and went in for the kill. Drawing back his fist, he threw it forward, watching his holographic fist meet the stranger’s face. In the arena, the raven’s avatar took a hard hit and stumbled back, the image fizzing out before stabilizing.

“Sorry, did I catch you by surprise?” Naruto jeered triumphantly, readjusting. “I’ll take it down a notch.” His smile dimmed when the stranger smirked at him, unfazed.

The raven’s avatar simply brought up a hand and beckoned Naruto’s own avatar. Snorting, Naruto responded eagerly and dove at him. One second he was about to wreck the avatar’s face with a brutal punch, and the next his avatar was writhing on the floor, losing a shit ton of points. The voice over called out the injuries, naming broken bones and bruised organs over the crying shouting of the crowd.

“Yo, what the fuck?”

As soon as his avatar was up again, Naruto backed up, analyzing his opponent. How in the fuck had he hit him? He hadn’t seen anything!

The raven surged forward, letting loose speedy punch-kick combos that had Naruto struggling to block. The flashes of red on his avatar indicated he wasn’t faring too well. He had to give the man credit, he was fast. Naruto reeled as a holographic foot embedded itself into his avatar’s gut, sending him flying against the wall separating them from the arena.

Landing bodily on the floor, Naruto jerked up in time to block a downward kick aimed at his head with his forearms. With a yell he shoved the limb up, sending the other struggling to regain balance. Naruto followed him, repaying the stranger with his own rabbit punches. He cursed as the other blocked each hit efficiently.

Naruto’s avatar’s head snapped up when the other’s knee rammed into his chin. His life meter plummeted, reaching the zero mark.

PLAYER TWO WINS. BEGIN, ROUND TWO. FIGHT!

Both life meters rose to the green section. The other man’s hologram strode over to his original spot. Behind the screen, the real man shook his hands out, preparing for another round.

Regarding his challenger with keen eyes, Naruto forced his newly healed avatar to stand up, molding him into the standard fighting position. This guy was quick, and hit hard, but Naruto could hit harder. He had to just find an opening and strike. Once the pale bastard was off guard, it was all over.

With a flick of his wrist, Naruto brought up a list of his usual attacks, glancing over them as he tried to see which one would be best to use. Selecting a few, waived the list away and waited for the other to strike first.

As if sensing Naruto’s reluctance to hit first, the other man darted forward again, delivering a roundhouse kick that was effectively blocked. Naruto seized the chance and dropped, striking out his foot and knocking into the other’s ankle. The avatar retaliated quickly, rolling with the hit and popping to his feet only fall again when Naruto’s avatar tackled him.

Naruto got a few satisfying punches in on the man’s abdomen before a chop to his neck had him freezing, briefly stunned. The other avatar kicked up to from his back to his feet in an impressive display of agility and flexibility.

Once again in control of his hologram, Naruto rocked back as a fist met his jaw. Moving with the momentum, Naruto grabbed the raven’s holographic wrist and twisted, snapping the imaginary bone and using his grip as an anchor, holding on tight as he brought his leg up and into the man’s chest cavity, his knee digging into the sternum.

Barely daunted, the raven latched onto his leg with his good arm and spun, launching Naruto to the ground with a bodily thud. Both holograms suffered, blinking in and out, sparkling as their health dived down.

The fighting turned to grappling as Naruto fought to pin the other down. It seemed a broken wrist did nothing to stop the man as he easily freed himself and switched tactics. A strike to Naruto’s Achilles heel allowed the stranger to roll away and stand a few feet away.

Satisfaction filled him as Naruto realized the raven was breathing hard with the exertion, matching his own state. Their life meters matched, mere points from zero. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a fight last this long, forcing him to be crafty with his hits. He was pleased to have a worthy opponent, but his pride took a hit as the crowd cheered the stranger.

It hurt that his own countrymen disliked him so much.

“Tch. That the best you got?” Naruto taunted as he forced himself to focus, leaning his weight to one foot and cocking his hip. “Hope you know you’re pretty good for a newbie. I might even make an effort.”

He flushed as the stranger simply arched a sharp eyebrow, clearly not amused by his jeers. Those piercing eyes could probably see right through him. Great, the asshole had a stick up his…well, asshole.

Naruto danced in and so did the other man. Rearing back his fist to punch, Naruto braced himself with his footing, putting as much power as he could into the movement. Much to his surprise, the pale man imitated him, his own fist rushing forward to meet Naruto’s avatar.

Dead silence filled the area and took over the crowd as the other’s avatar fell face first, his meter ringing out zero. Naruto’s avatar fell a split second later but he was the winner.

“Fuck yea!”

Naruto thrust his fist in the air, shouting over the murmur of the crowd. “You accepted the wrong challenge, dude,” he preened, irate at how unresponsive the other was. He wasn’t a statue, so was this guy a robot? Normally the losers would be whining and trying to get out before they lost the third round.

Both avatars disappeared and reappeared at the entry points, full health for each.

PLAYER ONE WINS. BEGIN, ROUND THREE, FI—”

Before the robot could finish the call a new voice cut in over the intercom, speaking in some foreign language Naruto couldn’t place. Confused after the announcement, Naruto glanced over at his opponent to see the man snapping the simulation equipment off. “Oi, where are you going? We still have another match!”

The man tossed the bracelets and anklets at bystander, pointing a finger up at the intercom. “I’ve been summoned.”

Naruto scoffed, but nodded. He understood duty called and overrode their fight. The other left quickly, leaving Naruto in the stand alone. Knowing no other person would be willing to take his place, not that they’d even be able to match the guy, Naruto shut the simulation off. The crowd dispersed as quickly as it had gathered, taking with it the loud atmosphere. The resulting silence was pleasant, helping sooth his earlier anxiousness.

He left the room and walked back to his bunk after a quick shower in the communal locker room, tugging the towel around his waist as he marched. It was only Wednesday and he still had two more days until he met his potential drift partner. Time was crawling by, every second seemingly taking hours. Monday and Tuesday had gone in a haze as he had been struggling to come to terms that he’d actually get to pilot Konoha Green into a real fucking battle, taking on actual Bijuus that size of mountains and of course, win.

Once inside his room, he tossed the damp towel onto the spare bed in the room and flexed in the floor length mirror by his bed, slowly watching his muscles undulate and tense. He admired his own figure, noting his rigorous workouts had indeed sculpted his body nicely. It was required for all pilots to be in great if not decent shape; Naruto took this to heart, wanting to be a top pilot that would be the best candidate for future missions. After giving his goods a quick inspection, he tugged on a pair of black boxers and some jeans. Naruto swiped deodorant under his arms and yanked on an old T-shirt with his name and position on the front. The back had a large intricate orange swirl of his own design that Iruka helped cement as a real insignia.

Black converse completed his outfit and Naruto left the room. He turned a few corridors deeper into the bunk, walking straight to Kiba Inuzuka’s room. The man was a longtime friend, hanging out with him despite the stigma he carried. Although they weren’t drift compatible, they were like brothers, hanging out nearly every day.

Upon reaching Kiba’s door, Naruto opened it silently, hoping to scare the shit out of the burnet. Popping his head inside, he froze, eyes wide.

Moans and grunts assaulted his ears and the heady scent of sex filled his nose as his gaze was locked on the single bed in the far right corner of the room. A shirtless Kiba was grinding onto a woman underneath him, his back muscles rolling with the movement. Pale legs were wrapped around his torso while hands clutched at his shoulders.  Clothes were discarded on the floor, the lighter colors indicating Kiba wasn’t the only one missing clothes. Smoothly, Kiba lifted her up and they switched positions, her now riding on his hips, tossing her long blond hair back as her hips began to roll.

With an arch of his brow, Naruto recognized the woman as Ino Yamanaka; Kiba had been lusting for her since he’d met her years ago. The woman was a knock-out and Naruto was proud the idiot had finally made a move. He’d had enough of his pinning and whining nearly every day. He frowned as Ino yanked off her bra and Kiba arched up, reaching for—

Nope. Naruto quietly shut the door, not needing or wanting to see any further. They might be close friends but he wasn’t about to watch him pop a cherry. There are certain things that were not to be shared, and this definitely counted. He spun around on his heel and began to head over to the cafeteria.

“Naruto!”

Startled from his thoughts, Naruto slowed to stop as he turned and saw Iruka struggling to catch up to him. The older man looked unusually snazzy, donned in a form fitting black suit, sans the jacket. The vest fit him snuggly, outline the brunet’s slim but muscular form. “Iruka?”

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Iruka snapped, looking frazzled as he reached him. He waved around a clipboard in his hand. “I’ve been trying to reach you for–“

Naruto interrupted him with a shrug. “I broke it, remember?” He was actually pretty sure someone had stolen it, but he hadn’t figured out who it was. It was the reason he had to install new locks on his door and locker.

Iruka sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose right above his scar. “Nevermind that now, come with me.”

“Wanna get some lunch?” Naruto linked his hands and rested them on the crown of his head as followed the brunet. “I haven’t eaten yet.”

“Naruto, they arrived sooner than expected. I’ve been getting them situated since this morning and they’ve asked to meet you before they retire for the day.”

He jerked to a stop, lowering his hands. “Wait, are you serious?! He’s here? It’s not Friday though!”

Iruka sighed again and grabbed the blond’s wrist, dragging him forward. “Yes, he and his mission controller are waiting in the LOCCENT. They’ve been debriefed on your case and have agreed to start the tests tomorrow morning, meaning, you have to get up early.”

Ripping off his ID tag, Iruka waved it across the small pad that gave specialized access to the control room and placed his hand on the small handprint screener underneath. He then stepped back as the door beeped in confirmation and whooshed open. “Don’t disappoint.”

Naruto flashed him a toothy grin before striding forth confidently. “When do I ever?”

The large blue tinted room titled LOCCENT was the command center for every operational Jaeger. The technicians stationed about were in charge of Jaeger deployment, analyzing any fights, and overseeing the health of the pilots. Large screens filled with immense amounts of data were splayed on the walls, often beeping and calling out important updates. The most vital screen mounted near the front of the station displayed the Breach, a huge gash in the ocean floor where the dangerous Bijuu emerged from.

The LOCCENTER was also located in front of Jaeger Bay, where all Jaegers were kept until a mission call. Thick sheets of plexiglass separated them from the robots, a meager barrier to the powerful machines. Due to how the center was structured, it was crucial to be on top of Jaeger management. Any miscalculation or accident could end up destroying the center along with the rest of the establishment.

Despite the late time, the room was abuzz with activity. The familiar clicking of fingers on keyboard, the hums of the holographic monitors, and the sweet blessed aroma of coffee teased the senses. Instead of the typical roar of people talking, the noise was down to a comfortable murmur, no doubt a product of Iruka’s presence.

“Marshall Kakashi, Ranger Sasuke, this is Cadet Naruto. Naruto,” Iruka nudged the blond who had been nearing one of the sensitive screens, “former Siberian perimeter guardsmen Sasuke Uchiha and his current commanding Marshall, Kakashi Hatake.”

Marshall Kakashi was a tall imposing man with unusually grey hair that spiked up before drifting to the side. Decked out in a formidable navy blue uniform with medals and stars of all sorts, the man met Naruto’s gaze and Naruto noted with curiosity the man’s differing eye colors and the vertical scar that crossed his right eye. The eye with the scar was a blood red color, while his other eye was a stormy grey.

“Sir.” Naruto nodded politely.

The blond then swiftly turned and his mouth snapped shut as he took in the strikingly familiar man standing next to the Marshall. A flash of excitement ran through him, curling the edges of his mouth and making his blood sing. He’d found himself an exceedingly worthy co-pilot.

**xXx**

Naruto let his eyes drift across the man, _Sasuke_. Back in the simulation room he hadn’t gotten a good look at him, but now he could see the man for all he’s worth. Tall, ghostly pale, Sasuke was nearly his opposite. Naruto himself was proudly tan and well-muscled, with a boisterous attitude that gave no fucks. He was loud, brash, and charming. Sasuke was not skinny, but his physique wasn’t as defined as Naruto’s. He as eerily quiet but had eyes like soulless pits that portrayed no emotion, making the blond shiver lightly. Sasuke was taller by a few inches, probably due to his hair, and turned out to be just a year older. The barest hint of a five o’ clock shadow darkened his cheeks slightly, reminding Naruto he need to shave off his stubble as well.

He extended his hand, cocking a brow. “If you can pilot a Jaeger as well as you can fight, we’ll have no problems,” he jutted his chin out. “Name’s Naruto.” He knew Iruka already told them his name, but he wanted this to work. They needed to start off good and get better. His future hinged on this.

Sasuke reached over and shook his hand briefly. His hand was cool to the touch but surprisingly rough with a nice, firm grip. “Likewise. Sasuke.

“Fight? Naruto don’t tell me you’ve already—”

“It was a coincidence!” he groaned, knowing Iruka was already thinking the worst. “We played around on the simulator for a bit, and we had a draw at the end.” Technically it _was_ draw, since they were evenly matched and still had a round to go.

Iruka hummed contemplatively as Kakashi wandered off. “Seeing as you two have already had experience testing each other out, then I see no reason why we can’t do your compatibility tests even sooner than expected. If anything, they’ll go smoother now. What do you think, Marshall…”

Naruto watched in amusement as Iruka stared dumbfounded after the man waving his hand in and out of the holographic screen of one poor technician girl, blurring the image over and over. That little eye brow twitch had Naruto snickering. Something told him Iruka had been dealing with this all day.

The blond then glanced back at the raven, settling on staring as Sasuke was observing Konoha Green in the bay. She was getting some upgrades checked for testing and was indisposed.

Tendrils of pride swirled around in Naruto’s chest pleasantly. He moved to stand next to Sasuke, watching the orange sparks of metal against metal flash as engineers worked on her. “Konoha Green, two hundred and sixty feet tall, 1,980 tons. Mark-3, originally piloted by Minato “The Flash” Namikaze and his wife, Kushina Namikaze. Bijuu kill count of five category 1 Sanbi, two category 3 Gobi, and one category 4 Shichibi.”

Beside him Sasuke nodded appreciatively.

“She’s being updated to a new power source. Nuclear reactors aren’t worth the risk.”

Sasuke tilted his head, his eyes following the tiny men on lifts working on the Jaeger.

“Just wait ‘till you see her in action. It’s incredible.”

“Hn.”

“....Not much of a talker, are you?”

“I’d say you’re doing enough for the both of us,” the raven stated bluntly. “But I can admire the enthusiasm.”

Undeterred, Naruto grinned. The blond knew he was often _too much_ of a talker; if Sasuke didn’t want to talk, that was fine by him. Able to place the accent now, he couldn’t help but like it. It was rough and smoky, denoting a power he knew Sasuke wielded easily. Thrumming with unkempt energy at the thought of their tests tomorrow, Naruto glanced over to Iruka who was engrossed in a conversation with Sasuke’s Marshall. It was clear the older man was testing Iruka’s patience, as his mannerisms became curt and brisk.

Naruto was almost rocking on his heels as the silence dragged on. Not able to handle it, he blew out a sharp breath nodded over to the door. “D’you wanna go get something to eat? I’ll show you around the base.”

Sasuke gazed at him for a moment before nodding slowly. The raven turned to the grey-haired Marshall and said something in his native speech, the language rolling off his tongue expertly. The Marshall, Kakashi as his name tag read, nodded and said something back before attempting to placate Iruka. Once the exchanged was finished, Sasuke followed Naruto out of the room, his dark eyes carefully taking in everything.

“Since we’ll be doing the tests tomorrow, I can show you the Jaeger deployment station, drivesuit rooms, and training decks tomorrow. Today we’re just gonna see the cafeteria, maybe the recreation rooms, and if you want the sleeping quarters. Sound good?” Naruto offered, the need to impress Sasuke itching inside him. He knew their base wasn’t the same as the Russian one, but from what he’s heard, they had it rougher. A lot of the mainland of Russian had been isolated during the first attacks, forcing the nation to rely solely on itself to fight back and stand strong.

Sasuke simply nodded again, his expression unreadable.

“Oi, Naruto!”

A grin sliding onto his face as he whirled around, Naruto let out an echoing shout. “Kiba!”

The shaggy brunet was lazing down the hallways towards him, his arms warped around Ino’s waist as he rested his head on her shoulder. She looked annoyed, but smiled at Naruto, stumbling as they ambled over.

“I can see Kiba finally took the shot,” he teased, blocking out the images that sprung into his mind. He did not need to be remembering that, not now, not ever. “Congrats.”

“More like I got tired of waiting and decided for him.” Ino snorted, elbowing Kiba in the ribs and squirming against him. In response Kiba tightened his grip and nosed the back of her neck. Looking to his side, blue eyes widened as they fell on Sasuke. “Hell-o.”

Naruto guffawed at Kiba’s immediate reaction, bringing up a hand to stifle his laugh. Like a dog on alert, Kiba’s head shot up and his shoulder’s stiffened; he drew Ino even closer to him as a suspicious frown crawled onto his mouth. “And you are?” he said tautly.

“This is Sasuke. He’s my new drift partner. Sasuke, this is Ino and Kiba. They’re friends of mine. They’re in training to be part of my crew.” A quick peek told him that Sasuke was wholly uninterested in the exchange. Besides a cursory nod in their direction, Sasuke largely ignored them, choosing instead to watch the other cadets and crew milling around.

“You’re not from here.” Kiba stated, his head tilted slightly. Meeting Naruto’s gaze, he quirked an eyebrow.  “A foreigner?”

“He’s from the Russian team.” Naruto interjected, getting a feeling Sasuke wasn’t going to respond and Kiba would take that personally. “Iruka had him flown in to see if we match.”

Ino had a pensive look on her face. “I thought you and Sai were going to pilot Green.”

Naruto ran a hand through his hair, mussing up the blond mop. “It wasn’t going to be long term. Y’know how Sai can be.”

Ino hummed knowingly. “Where are you guys headed, anyways?”

A flick of blond hair accompanied Naruto’s nod. “We’re heading to the cafeteria. I’m showing Sasuke around a bit and we’re getting some lunch. You guys wanna tag along?”

Truthfully he’d rather spend the time alone with Sasuke, getting to know the other man better. Though come tomorrow they’d know pretty much everything about each other, it felt polite to at least ask the man the personal shit before it was all unwillingly revealed.

“Nah, me and Ino just ate.” Kiba answered, giving Sasuke another onceover before looking back at Naruto. “We’re heading over to the gym. We’ll see you guys later, though.”

After a round of goodbyes, Naruto was finally left alone with Sasuke. Running his tongue along his bottom lip, he cleared his throat. “Sorry about Kiba being a bit rude. There aren’t many outsiders here in Konoha and most people aren’t too kind to them. But don’t worry, you’ll fit in quickly.” The wide, charming grin on his face faltered as Sasuke shrugged, that unreadable mask still on his face.

“Not really like I care. I’m not here for their approval.”

Naruto felt his eyebrows rise to his hairline. Well at least he didn’t have to worry about the others turning their dislike from him to Sasuke. It was also relieving to know Sasuke could defend himself in case they did try something. “Sweet, okay. No problem then. C’mon, the café is this way.”

**xXx**

He was strange, intriguing, confusing, and mysterious. Like the surprise meals they had on Saturdays, when the chefs hid the menu and grinded everything into an odd colored goop that they plopped onto the trays. An interesting flavor he hadn’t decided he liked yet, so he let it roll around on his tongue for a while, seeing if he could recognize what it was.

Naruto pursed his lips and blew out a long breath, feeling bizarrely exhausted. He leaned back, shutting the door to his room and resting against it. Teethed gnawed at his bottom lip as he reminisced, trying to find a good category in which to place Sasuke.

The short while they spent together, not including the time in the simulation room, had been mostly him talking and Sasuke responding in brief sentences. While Naruto had been worried on the down low that they wouldn’t get along, he hadn’t thought about his partner….not caring.

Even in the cafeteria, Sasuke had seemed detached, like he wasn’t really there. He was impervious to the glares sent their way when they entered the room. He didn’t complain about the awful side dish he’d ordered at the lunch line, something Naruto knew tasted disgusting despite its nutritional value. Sasuke hadn’t even flinched when Naruto mentioned horror stories of the training he and his crew received. The man was alive, but showed no emotions Naruto could catch. He hadn’t seen Sasuke crack a smile, or even frown. It was almost as if Sasuke didn’t know how to.

Maybe he was just extremely shy and had been overwhelmed. Maybe the man just thought he was too cool to show emotions. Maybe he was socially inept.

Whatever it was, it threw Naruto for a loop. Due to Sasuke’s apathetic nature, he had found out absolutely nothing about the man. It left him with a peculiar sense of wanting. Each second spent in his company created a greater need to know about the man and if they were to be partners, Sasuke could at least show a little more interest in him. Naruto furrowed his brow and rubbed the back of his neck.

He felt a bit miffed that Sasuke wasn’t making much of an effort to know him, but the feeling quickly dissipated after he realized it didn’t really have a foundation. Sure he found Sasuke attractive, but that didn’t mean the feeling was mutual; if anything, he was relatively sure the man was asexual due to his lack of interest in anything. That train of thought was best left alone before it lead to disappointment. And even then, Sasuke was in new territory; he was probably working on adjusting to everything that wasn’t in his native tongue. Or at least that was the best idea he could stick with.

Really, it could be that he was overthinking everything. Gah.

Naruto shoved himself off the door and ambled over to the center of his room, glancing around. A brief survey of his room brought its messiness into focus. The strewn around dirty clothes, the clean clothes he left in a pile in a basket he never returned to the laundry room, his various pairs of shoes laying scattered about, his unkempt bed, the take-out containers lying around mostly empty, the soda cans stacked up in a pyramid….It might have been a blessing in disguise that Marshall Kakashi had called Sasuke away after they ate. It would have made a terrible first impression of his habits.

Sasuke didn’t seem like a neat freak, but Naruto suspected he might just not give a fuck. Regardless, if they were to share a room, he might as well make an exertion to not be such a slob. Garbage bag in hand, Naruto went about cleaning his room; he shoved his clean clothes into the roomy closet, fixed his bed sheets, grimaced as he picked up all the debris from his bachelor living style, collected his shoes, and even vacuumed.

He ducked down and prodded around under his bed, finding a long dead cactus plant he tried to cultivate. With a pout, he placed the potted plant on top of his dresser, pledging to try again. Along with it, he placed a small action figurine of Konoha Green. He brushed off some stray dirt from the head, a small smile gracing his lips.

He then poked around in the closet, making room for Sasuke’s belongings, giving the man a good cut of the space. His extra clothes were taken from the spare drawer and placed in the one he used more frequently. There wasn’t much he had to move, but the amount suited his needs. The spare one would go to Sasuke, so he shoved it across the room, along the other bed.  Each room came with two beds and so forth since pilots were supposed to work in teams; Sai had preferred his own room and Naruto had been completely okay with that, enjoying his privacy. Sharing a room with Sasuke would be a new experience, but because the payoff was finally being able to control Green, Naruto didn’t give two shits about having a roommate. After a few more minutes of housework, Naruto deemed the area clean enough and him worthy of a break.

The bed squeaked as Naruto dropped down on top of it heavily, dragging a pillow to cradle his head. His boots hit the ground with thumps as he kicked them off and closed his eyes, letting the events of the day replay in his mind, committing them to memory.

**xXx**

A crisp tapping on his door dragged Naruto back into the world of the living. Groggy and confused, he wondered why he was fully dressed rather than in his comfy set of pjs. Brushing that aside for the moment, he stumbled out of the bed and lurched over to the door, cracking it open. As his eyes fell on his visitor, Naruto’s spine snapped to attention and the rest of his body followed. He fully opened the door and saluted. “Sir!”

Marshall Kakashi was slouching in his door way, lowering his raised fist. Rather than his navy blue uniform, the man was dressed in a more casual grey version that suited him well. A silver eyebrow arched gracefully as the Marshall’s eyes took in what he was wearing. “Cadet, are you aware of where you’re supposed to be right now?”

“Sir?” Naruto repeated, his brain not yet working at full capacity. The cogs struggled to turn, still laden with sleep.

The Marshall slid into his room, and Naruto stood to the side, not knowing what to do. It was Wednesday, so he didn’t have to be anywhere until late afternoon. He normally headed to the gym…. Scratching his head, Naruto stilled as his eyes fell on the digital clock on his dresser. His heart stuttered in his chest, quickly kicking into hyperdrive.

“Today is…”

“Thursday.” Kakashi supplied helpfully, regarding his room with watchful eyes.

“Not Wednesday.” Naruto said weakly.

“Not Wednesday,” was the cheerful affirmation.

“Test day?”

“And I suggest you hurry. Your mission controller doesn’t seem to like tardiness, or earliness for that matter, and neither does Sasuke. They’ve been waiting for a while now.”

“ _Shitshitshitfuckshit_!”

Naruto ripped off his shirt and nearly fell down yanking his pants off. He felt a moment of embarrassment at stripping in front of his potential Marshall, but it quickly left him as urgency took its place. Raiding his newly organized closet for his black circuitry suit, Naruto struggled to slip into the wetsuit-like ensemble without ripping the finicky fabric. Gold synaptic processors decorated the polymer material, patterned like computer circuits. While extremely useful for connectivity with his outer armor, they were a bitch to handle.

Much to his chagrin, Kakashi had to help him.

“Tell me, your mission controller, how long have you known him?” Kakashi’s tone was carefully curious as he snapped the buttons along his spine.

“Iruka’s been there since I was a kid,” Naruto answered swiftly, finally in the uniform. He stepped away from Kakashi and bent down, zipping his feet into the thin shoes that went inside the booted area of the drivesuit. “Why?”

The Marshall shrugged, handing him the other shoe. “No reason.”

Naruto stood and eyed him suspiciously before darting out of his room. “He doesn’t like you, you piss him off,” he called back.

He grimaced as a taunting ‘tick tock’ followed his leave.


	2. Trouble

"I'm here! Cadet Naruto reporting for duty!"

Had Iruka's glare been any stronger, Naruto swore it would have burned a hole through him and charred the wall behind him. "I overslept," he explained meekly. A sheepish grin did nothing to soothe Iruka's menacing expression.

Naruto then turned to Sasuke, who had already been fully suited. "Sorry about being late, I'm normally on…." He paused as he took in the other man, wide eyes taking in every detail.

Sasuke had on the combining grey drivesuit that matched his own, except it was much nicer; probably a newer model. Rather than adorned with the scratches and nicks of battle use, it gleamed with undamaged power and sleekness, sticking to every edge of Sasuke's body like a thicker second skin. The Kevlar bi-weave did an excellent job of outlining the muscle and edges of Sasuke's torso, as if he were basically naked.

The insignia Naruto begged Iruka to have etched onto the shoulder pads shone in the light of the Drivesuit room, a mixture of his original creation and one of Iruka's own. It was a fearsome fox, reared up to fight and maim. A small smile ticked Naruto's lips as he noticed Sasuke's personal addition, a set of dots with tails in a circle right above the beasts head. Simple but elegant.

"…ah, normally on time," he finished lamely, feeling his face flush at the blank look Sasuke sent him. For all his nonexistent expressions, Sasuke had oddly captivating eyes. The urge to know what he was thinking itched at the base of Naruto's skull.

He brushed the urge aside, focusing instead on the rising scent of lubricant and oil. A thought suddenly clicked in Naruto's head and he rotated towards Iruka who had begun to remove his drivesuit from its foam home, grabbing the drills to assemble the armor. A few other squad members appeared, ready to help him. "Wait, weren't we supposed to start with the fighting compatibility test first? Down in the rec room?" He raised his arms and allowed the crew to begin, jostled as they fitted his gear.

"As I told Sasuke and would have told you if you had been here"—Naruto shrank back at the piercing scowl—"there won't be a need for that since I was able to access the simulation's records and created my assessment from that. Sasuke gave a detailed report as well and so we're starting with the neural compatibility in Green."

Naruto grinned, pleased everything was moving so fast. He shoved on the helmet, letting the yellow relay gel slide down the thick glass that curved down along his face and ended at the metal chin tab. On the outside, two gold circular gears whirled as they locked down. Lights at the base of the inner helmet lit up, illuminated Naruto's face in a gentle orange glow. "Perfect."

"So we'll see." Iruka lifted the metal spinal clamp from its foam lined container wheeled in by a techie. The long centipede-shaped chain of metal clicked and moved on its own until Naruto felt it latch onto his back, connecting with the rest of his suit and beeping in confirmation of attachment. The last few screws were drilled in place and he was ready.

Naruto clumped into Konoha Green's head, watching the lights snap on as he moved. The inner mechanics of the Conn-Pod hummed to life as they came online, creating a soft glowing environment. Naruto immediately headed towards the platform that held the leading Pilot motion rig, slowing down when Iruka placed a hand on his shoulder and turned him the opposite way.

"Naruto wait. We're trying something new, and that requires you to take the co-pilot harness."

"What!? But I'm the pilot!" Naruto exclaimed, resisting Iruka's light shove. "That's my spot!"

"Sasuke has routinely taken up the head pilot seat, and he's a better candidate mentally. You're quite unstable, as I've seen, and the main pilot should exert better control." Kakashi suddenly appeared on Green's Heads Up Display, projected from various angles within the Conn-Pod and lined to create a large colorful holographic screen. The display allowed them a 360 degree view of their surroundings, as well as a direct feed to see inside the LOCCENT and diagnostic data. It was extremely handy in cases where pilots were going in dark, having to rely on the readings from LOCCENT to move and fight. Kakashi had his arms clasped at his back, an amused yet stern expression on his face. Behind him in the command mezzanine, the technicians bustled about, getting ready for the test. "Should you display the required control, you may take that seat."

Unable to argue, Naruto pressed his lips into a thin line. "Fine," he muttered after a few seconds of fruitless sulking.

He watched on as the motion rig lowered, swinging and clanking into place. The hydraulic pumps that brought them down hissed loudly. Once level, Naruto stepped onto the clamps that automatically fastened to his feet and locked him down. Iruka went around back and connected the harness to his drivesuit, twisting a thick hose into the oxygen port at his ribs. The condensation on the glass near his mouth disappeared quickly as the air became ventilated. His arms snapped to the links that directed Green's arms, jerking with the added weight and a circular device rose rapidly to his downturned hand. His fingers slid into the designated holes of the controller flawlessly. The device tooted and buzzed.

Sasuke went through the same process, hooking himself up to the main pilot's harness easily. Jealousy arched in his chest, but Naruto couldn't argue with Kakashi's logic. He wasn't that dense.

"Cheer up, this is just a trial run. Nothing is set yet."

Iruka's gentle tone chided Naruto. He was acting foolish and Sasuke probably thought he was a huge whiner. What a great day so far. "M'alright." He risked a quick glance at the raven and saw the other man's head turning away, as if Sasuke had been looking at him. Naruto straightened his back, tamping down a pleased feeling blossoming in his chest.

"Good." Iruka cabled Naruto to Green's neural transference plate, affixing a feedback cradle to his back. "Setting harness to test mode."

Once both he and Sasuke were secured, Iruka left the Conn-Pod and the door hissed shut and locked, leaving him and Sasuke alone. The cabin darkened as the only light source came from the machinery and screens around them. A light green glow surrounded them cheerfully.

Naruto shivered in anticipation, imagining the power of the turbines and weapons nestled within the robot. Even when he and Sai first began trying to control the Jaeger together, he hadn't been this hyped. He vaguely wondered what happened to his previous partner. More than likely he'd been transferred to another division, where he was hopefully making someone else miserable. Impatient, Naruto shifted in his gear, wanting to get the show going. He'd been waiting for a moment like this his whole life.

"Hey Sasuke, you ready?" He called out, not really expecting an answer. He twisted over to get a look at his partner, shooting a grin at him. "Well?"

Sasuke humored him and spoke, sending a spike of satisfaction through him. "Focus."

Naruto snorted. "You'll be needing it more than I will." Despite wanting everything to go as smoothly as possible, Naruto held onto the hope that Sasuke would struggle to stay in his own mind. He wondered how the other would react once he truly saw how hard it was to synch with him; Sai's record was three minutes. "Good luck."

"PILOTS ONBOARD AND READY TO COMMENCE," the system's AI called out, alerting everyone to begin.

Up on the HUD, Kakashi naturally commanded everyone like he had been born for the job, immediately taking control despite being a complete stranger. The utter alpha male in his natural habitat. He stood before them, Iruka directly at his side. "Engage the drop."

"Engaging drop," Iruka repeated into a tiny mic attached to his ear, his fingers flying over the complex keyboard before him. He then wove his hands through the holographic screen beaming up from his computer system, moving bits of data around in easy, practiced moves.

Outside the lifts were withdrawn, slinking back into the safety of their stations with alarms blaring. The Conn-Pod shuddered before it dropped rapidly down a vertical shaft with a metallic roar, spiraling into place as it was attached to the rest of the Jaeger's body by rails. Automatically, bolts slid into place and automated gears locked down, securing the head to the body of the Jaeger.

The nuclear-powered central turbine buried inside Konoha Green's chest roared to life, vibrating with its new energy source. Flood lights fixed on the outer armor snapped on, filling the bay with bright white. Inside the LOCCENT the techies settled down, all hands on deck. The mandated Psyche Analyst walked up behind Kakashi, ready to gauge their connection; his long ponytail of blond hair swayed as he moved to read the data on Iruka's screen.

Beside him, Sasuke reached down and began to flip several buzzing switches on the command console mounted before him. He hesitated before flicking the last controls, speaking softly, "Don't look for me."

Naruto blinked, surprised at how little emotion Sasuke had put into speaking, but at the same time how it spoke volumes. "Wait, what do you mea—"

NEURAL HANDSHAKE INITIATED

It was as if his mind was being ripped out from the back of his skull, blinding him with blue and white flashes the burned his retinas and stabbed his brain. Crying out, Naruto shut his eyes and pitched forward, completely taken unaware. The feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come, leaving him shivering and panting.

He opened his eyes to see nothing but white. Endless white surrounded him from all angles, stretching for miles on end. Soft, cold drops touched his face and he lifted a hand to brush at it, realizing absentmindedly he was without helmet. He was still wearing his body gear, as the connections within buzzed with energy. The drops continued.

Water? He looked up, twisting around in confusion. No, not water. Snow. Pale flakes were drifting down, appearing out of nowhere to coat his hair and press cold kisses to his skin.

"Hello?"

He took a few steps forward, unsure of what to do. Naruto huffed, his breath appearing in a cloud of vapor. What the fuck was going on? He didn't remember ending the trial run and disappearing off to a snowy landscape. A twinge of something shot through his body, running down every limb. It was slightly painful. Sasuke?

Considering they were mentally linked up like an organic supercomputer, where was Sasuke?

Don't look for me.

_He was in Sasuke's head._

Naruto gaped. Well that was a first. Usually it was vice versa, with his partner stuck in  _his_ head. Naruto reevaluated his environment. So this is what it was like? This was nothing like what Sai told him he saw when they attempted to connect. Sasuke's home country explained the snow. But if he was here, that meant…

Not quite panicking, Naruto knew every second he was here was a failing sign to Iruka and Kakashi. If he was lost in Sasuke's mind, his brain waves would be going haywire, disrupting any balance they might have had. He had to go back, fast.

Closing his eyes, he focused on his own memories, imagining them as a safety line pulling him back to his body. Konoha, his parents, rebuilding the city, his friends—

RIGHT HEMISPHERE CALIBRATED. LEFT HEMISHPHERE CALIBRATED.

Naruto snapped back like a stretched rubber band, struggling to regain his balance as he opened his eyes. Relief poured through him as he realized he'd made it back.

On screen Iruka relayed their stats, a smirk on his face as he peered into the screen, aiming a look Naruto knew was strictly for him. "Neural handshake strong and holding."

PILOT TO JAGER CONNECTION CONFIRMED. READY TO ACTIVATE THE JAEGER.

In synch, he and Sasuke both raised their arms and brought them into a formal defensive stance, the huge Jaeger limbs following their movements.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit," Naruto crowed, excitement making him nervous. He could feel himself shaking slightly. "Fuck yea! We're doing it."

"Focus," Sasuke repeated.

Oh, did he detect a tone of impatience? Feeling impish, Naruto held his tongue. He could fuck around with Sasuke later; this run was too delicate to mess up.

Kakashi nodded in approval. His screen minimized slightly, allowing for sensory arrays that ranged all over the visible spectrum to UV to fill the space and construct an image of the Pacific Ocean, where the breach was. An image of his and Sasuke's brain were superimposed over a graphic of Konoha Green, melding as they synched.

Rather than feeling hindered or unattached as he expected, controlling Konoha Green felt natural, as if it were his own body he was moving, a mere extension of himself. The immensity of the Jaeger pulsated all around him and it was breath-taking and terrifying. The sheer force of the machine coursed through his mind and every fiber of his frame; he felt powerful, invincible, like he could fight a hurricane and win. Did Sasuke feel the same?

A quick peep at him had the raven responding to his gaze instantly, as if he'd called his name. Stark blue meet pitch-black. Naruto even could envision the new pathways in his mind being fashioned, forged by their neural link with Konoha Green and one another. It felt akin to something holy, religious in its intensity and spirituality. They were sharing a single mind, becoming one.

He would never forget this sensation, already addicted.

Kakashi reappeared in a bigger image once everything was fully stable and operational. He was leaning over Iruka's shoulder, a smirk on his face as Iruka not-so-subtly jabbed him in the ribs. "Let's test some weaponry, boys."

Naruto grinned like a Cheshire cat. Sasuke shifted beside him, the only sign of his excitement. "Let's."

**xXx**

Sasuke hadn't packed much.

The blond lounged on his bed, having just brought the other into his—now theirs— room. Silently, Sasuke had begun unpacking, neatly folding his clothes and putting them away without preamble.

This was the first time they were left alone after they had successfully drifted. The weapons test had gone off without a hitch, executed with text-book perfection, but that had been days ago and Naruto had found himself craving Sasuke's perpetually quiet presence while the other was temporarily housed in another wing with Kakashi and other cadets. Now that they actually were alone, Naruto had no idea what to say to initiate a conversation Sasuke would willingly take part in.

Every idea was rejected with a stamp of "he'd think that was stupid" or the now abused "he's not going to answer." Either way he was getting nowhere by creepily watching the man handle his underwear. Boxer briefs were a nice choice judging by the fleeting appreciative glance at his ass.

"Hey Sasuke, how'd you know I'd be the one to get sucked into your head?" he ventured, rolling onto his back, watching everything flip. "Usually anyone that tries to drift with me is pulled into my brain." Sasuke continued to adjust his belongings, so Naruto settled on watching his back.

"You lack control over your mind. I however, have impeccable control. It's a two-way bridge, think about it."

Immensely satisfied Sasuke spoke to him, Naruto grinned. That accent was really growing on him; he yearned to hear it more often. "You had to calm my brain waves, and by that I was allowed access into yours," he guessed.

"Correct."

Naruto licked his lips and sat up on his bed, leaning forward toward Sasuke. "How come I only saw snow? Sai, my partner before you, always told me he was assaulted with images of my past, thoughts I was having, random memories…. Why were yours just blank?"

"You saw what I wanted you to see."

"Whoa, wait, you can control that?" He perked up, rolling to his stomach. That was possible?

"I can. You unfortunately lack the finesse. "

Naruto brushed off the harmless criticism easily. "Does that mean I'll never see your thoughts?"

Sasuke turned, his eyes meeting Naruto's. "Why would you want to?"

The blond huffed. "I'm not saying I'd like to peruse your head without permission, I'm saying I expected to and therefore am simply curious. If anything, I'd rather you tell me about yourself than me getting the behind-the-scenes look."

"Hn."

"Alright then. Did you see my memories?"

Sasuke gifted him a slight nod before he returned to his work and shoved his empty suitcase under the bed.

He pursed his lips. "Wait, then that's not fair."

"Do tell." His accent was thickening.

"Quid pro quo. It's not fair if you get my dirty laundry and I'm left in the dark about you."

"There's no need for you to know my past. It was unintentional that I glimpsed yours."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Dude, we're partners. Equivalent exchange and all that."

"Nothing about us is equal, and you'd be better off remembering that."

Taken aback, Naruto swiftly stood, his hands fisted at his sides. "Do you think you're better than me?" he said, offended.

"It's not a matter of me being better than you," Sasuke sighed, his voice sounding strangely strained. "I'm simply saying we have differing ideals and values, which cannot be measured accurately in a comparison."

Sarcasm rolled through Naruto, landing on his tongue. "Oh really? How huh? What's so different?"

Sasuke turned to him and Naruto swore he saw the strings of some emotion before it vanished under Sasuke's perpetual mask. "You were born to two Jaeger pilots who are now infamous for having deserted their nation. When Konoha needed your parents the most, right when the worst Bijuus were making their appearance they didn't help, branding them and subsequently you as traitors. Rather than resenting those who hate you, you seek their approval."

Naruto took a step back in surprise. Pain vaulted through his chest and he swallowed heavily. "Yea, I'd rather prove myself than become what they think I am."

"Thus you value their opinion greatly. You need, no,  _crave_  their validation in order to feel sufficient. Something I think is absurdly stupid."

He blinked. "Do you," Naruto said flatly, a mixture of anger and hurt rolling in his gut.

"I see no need for you to attempt to prove yourself to those who hate you. In the long run, your efforts will be ultimately ignored, reduced to happenstance. You make it worse by using the very Jaeger they piloted, the one with the most stigma. You're basically asking for the revulsion."

"I fight to better this world. I fight for everyone to keep living, to stop the Bijuu and stop the deaths," Naruto countered. "I'm a damn good cadet and I love what I do. The hatred of those around me is petty and easily ignored, and if you think I'd back out because someone hurt my feelings you obviously didn't get such a good look in my mind."

"If you truly believed that, you would have kept your given name, Naruto Uzumaki. Or should I say Naruto Namikaze? Having their name didn't help, you did it? It was easier to lie and let others believe you were different until they realized the truth. Because once they realized the truth, you were alone, hated, reviled." The beginnings of a cruel smirk quirked Sasuke's lips. "I don't even need to be in your mind to know that."

Icy ran where blood once did. Naruto trembled as he fought the urge to sink his fist into Sasuke's face. "What the fuck do you fight for then, huh? You some privileged, egotistical piece of shit who looks down on those who take pride in their nation?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Quite frankly I don't care for Konoha, or my country, or this world. This is simply my job. I neither care for your beliefs, nor Kakashi's if you're curious."

Naruto blinked. "You can't be serious."

"Differing ideals and values."

"I don't believe you."

"And I don't care. Need I remind you, I hold very little regard to the opinions of others. I am strictly here for my own benefit."

"You accepted….why did you accept to come? Why are you here if you don't care?" Naruto's heard his voice raise in pitch, struggling to lower it before someone else came in to see what was going on.

"Your Mission Controller offered me a substantial amount of money to come and be your partner. I weighed my options and agreed."

"….then why did you start fighting? Why did you become a pilot?" Naruto croaked. It made no sense, why risk his life for a world he didn't give a shit about? Everyone fought for a reason.

"My brother was one, and I followed in his footsteps."

"Then you must understand my point," Naruto declared.

"I'm not fighting for his memory, or honor in your case. My choice was convenient. He's not dead; he's suffering an autoimmune disorder that required him to step away from Jaeger duty."

"Your parents, t—"

"Both dead, killed in the first Bijuu appearances in Novosibirsk. And no, I hold no hatred toward the Bijuus for that. It was unfortunate but such is life, we move on."

"You're not normal," Naruto whispered.

"Is that your professional opinion? I have no emotional attachment to this job, or anyone here, and you brand me an outcast? As you probably know, it takes one to know one," Sasuke mocked.

The barb stung, but Naruto was numb. There was no possible way Sasuke was truly like this. This had to be some front, some defensive mechanism he was using. "You're lying. You have to care," he insisted.

Sasuke sighed, once again turning his back to Naruto. "If you chose to believe that, so be it. Wrap yourself in the delusions that suit your desires and I will carry on. Deny your reality and take refuge in fantasies, it doesn't matter to me."

He couldn't stand to be in the same room with him any longer. Naruto stormed out, shaking.

**xXx**

Inhaling deeply, Naruto held the breath for a few seconds before exhaling slowly, counting the seconds his head. He repeated, focusing on relaxing his tense muscles and reaching a state of inner peace. The familiar scent of lavender wafted into his nose, part of the aromatherapy offered by the meditation wing of the base.

He sat cross-legged on a thick foamy mat, eyes closed and hands clasped in his lap. Dulcet tones of oriental music accompanied him in the empty room, creating a soothing and warm atmosphere further amplified by small rosy candles placed strategically to generate warm light. The room was set up to his specific requests, a procedure most of the attendees knew from his frequent and spontaneous visits.

Naruto opened his eyes and shifted lazily, stretching his legs out. He felt infinitely better than he had hours ago, when he first entered the room. He would have to apologize to Kiba for springing on him and letting loose about what had transpired between him and Sasuke. Kiba had wisely advised time apart and Naruto had come straight to the meditation wing, desperate for some time to settle his internal turmoil.

The conflict within him arose from how creepily distant and insensible Sasuke was and his own pervasive nature to help others. Sasuke didn't care in the slightest, and it could be argued that he cared too much. If they were such opposites, how would they be able to fight together for a long time? It didn't matter that they were able to efficiently link up and control Green; that wouldn't be enough to keep them together as a team.

They were not compatible, after all.

It hurt. His goal was so close, fluttering right out of the reach of his fingertips. Part of him wished to ignore that facet of Sasuke and just use the man's brain to fight with, but it felt wrong. Partners were supposed to meet each other half way, not use one another for a selfish benefit.

Sasuke was a human being, like it or not, and Naruto would treat him like one. Maybe it would do him some good to go and talk to Iruka. His mission controller had always given him sound advice when he needed it and boy did he ever need it.

A quick glance at his watch told him Iruka would still be on duty, monitoring the other Jaegers in deployment. "He won't get off until thirty more minutes. Might as well keep meditating." Naruto yawned, raising his hands above his head in a stretch and moaning in pleasure.

"Naruto, you in there?"

Startled at the abrasive voice and rapid tapping coming from the other side of the thick door, Naruto lowered his arms and leaned back on them. "Yea, I'm in here."

Kiba entered, closing the door behind him and leaning on it. "Dude, you're not gonna believe what's happening," he spoke rapidly, barely understandable.

Naruto took in Kiba's appearance critically, noticing how hard the other was breathing and how excited he seemed. "It's not something to do with Ino, is it? Cuz if it is, I want no part in it."

"What? No." Kiba looked slightly affronted.

He amended. "Kidding. What's up?"

"There's a fight breaking out in the cafeteria."

Naruto whistled, mildly interested. "Oooh, better hope Iruka doesn't head down there and find them. There will be hell to pay….again."

"That's not even the best part."

"Are you gonna to tell me or are you gonna make me go see?" Naruto sighed, a tad exasperated as Kiba danced around the details in an attempt to entice him.

"I'll tell then you can decide if you wanna see. Last I saw, it was a three-on-one fight, with the one still winning. It was starting to get bloody."

Naruto hummed as he looked up at the ceiling, his eyes tracing the vents and lines in the plaster. "Nice. It's not Gaara is it? He'll be on probation if he gets into more shit."

"It's Sasuke."

Naruto's head whipped down so hard, he swore he felt something crack. "What! My Sasuke?" He pointed at his chest, jaw dropping as Kiba nodded rapidly.

"Some idiots didn't like Sasuke sitting at their table and tried to start shit, but Sasuke brushed them off like he did you, and then they got pissy. It's the xenophobic assholes, the ones who try to start shit all the time when we get new recruits. One thought he was ballsy and knocked Sasuke's tray to the floor, which Sasuke didn't care about, and then it escalated." Kiba explained hastily, his arms waving around wildly as he vaguely reenacted the scene. "Their buddies ganged up on him but Sasuke held his own, barely a nick on him."

"Sasuke wouldn't randomly get in a fight," Naruto denied. "The pole up his ass keeps him from moving too much."

"That's why I thought was a goner, 'til he retaliated. Your boys' got some moves."

"Shit, I could have told them Sasuke's not one to mess with." That time in the simulation room had been a game, but Sasuke was more than capable of repeating that in real life.

"So, to see or not to see?" The brunet shot him a grin, knowing the answer already.

Naruto flipped him off before rising to his feet.

**xXx**

Roars and screams were heard hallways down before they even reached the cafeteria.

Naruto walked slowly, knowing Kiba was anxious to get back and watch. His boots clomped on the grated floor, echoing slightly.

"So what are you planning on doing?"

Naruto knew immediately what Kiba was referring to and he heaved a sigh. "I'm gonna talk to Iruka, see what he thinks. I might even go see Kakashi just to get a second opinion."

Beside him Kiba nodded. "As a caring and intelligent friend, I recommend you guys ride this out. What's the worst that could happen?"

Naruto shrugged, picking up the pace a bit as they got nearer. He removed his ID tag from his back pocket. "It just doesn't feel right."

Seemingly dropping the conversation, Kiba jogged forward, sliding his ID onto the scanner before Naruto reached it. The metal double doors slid open and they were greeted by rambunctious cheers and a mass of people. The entire upper floor of the cafeteria was full of screaming individuals, all peering down at the first floor.

Elbowing his way through thick throngs of other crew members and cadets, Naruto reached the railing and looked down. Kiba jammed in tightly next to him, pointing out the fight while grabbing his shoulder and shaking him.

"Fuck yea, it got better!"

Naruto vaguely heard him yell something about placing bets, his eyes stuck on a certain individual.

Sasuke was surrounded, a bloody gladiator among his lesser opponents. His uniform was torn and dirtied, but he looked a million times better than the idiots fighting him. Naruto counted not one, but four broken limbs, a few shattered noses, and another unconscious person lying across the lunch table.

He had seen Sasuke as an emotionless mannequin, he'd seen him as slightly excited when they were fighting, but he'd never seen the other this…..brutal. This alive and vicious. It was a beauty to behold and Naruto couldn't tear look away. Brawling suited Sasuke to a T.

The raven had a metal lunch tray in hand, using it to effortlessly block multiple strikes, whipping it around like a grade A weapon. He then threw it, rolled over the table and showed everyone just how hard he could kick.

The screams turned deafening as the crowd ate it up. That femur would never be the same again.

Naruto twitched, his body revving up for action as he followed the bloodbath with his eyes. He might not like Sasuke's  _differing_   _ideals and values_ , but goddamn could the man put on a show. He jerked with each hit Sasuke received, imagining how that shit probably hurt. He noted with sharp concern how Sasuke had begun to slow down. Part of him took solace that Sasuke clearly could get hurt, but the other side was growing worried for his partner the longer the fight went.

"Oh fuck, he's done it now!" Kiba shouted over the thunder of the crowd as a few more members of that sector entered the fray, heading for Sasuke like sharks swimming in for a meal. "Dude, he's got something…." Kiba had stopped yelling, nudging Naruto. "Oh no, oh shit."

One of the more known crew members, Kabuto, was hiding something in his hand, holding it behind his back. He advanced on Sasuke as the raven was dealing with the other members, clearly beginning to tire and be overwhelmed.  _Sasuke wasn't noticing him._

Naruto froze. It could be a number of items, but the only thing he could picture was a switch blade.

Those fuckers! He made a split decision, hiking a boot up on the metal bars of the railing and lifting himself over. "I'm heading in."

"Naruto, what the fuck, no—"

"Kiba, he's my partner, the only one I've got," Naruto growled, shoving off the hand Kiba placed on his arm. "And I'm the only person  _he's_  got." He glanced down, judging the fall. "Get Iruka, now."

Naruto let go, luckily landing on his feet on one of the tables. Wobbling a bit as he regained balance, he leapt down to the floor, wincing as the crowd erupted into shrieks at the arrival of a new player. He recognized the old taunting jeers but brushed it aside, his main concern being Sasuke and Kabuto

The raven reacted to his entrance, whipping around to see him. Pitch-black eyes widened in surprise before falling on Kabuto who jumped towards him. Sasuke dodged to the right, the confirmed knife managing to slice across his ribs.

Moving with the attack, Sasuke grabbed Kabuto's arm and threw the cadet down on one of the benches,  _hard_. His hand pressed to his wound and he looked back at Naruto, the tiniest bit of curiosity tilting his head.

Naruto sent him a wild grin before showing him why exactly he was deemed dangerous by his fellow cadets.

**xXx**

After they were both released from the Infirmary Wing with multiple bruises and injuries a few weeks later, he and Sasuke were sat side by side in Iruka's office, awaiting a verdict. Or a death sentence. This being Iruka, Naruto knew they wouldn't get off easy.

Naruto shifted stiffly, the bandages wrapped around his torso and neck restricting a lot of his movement. His face itched, and he ached to rip off the gauze on his cheeks but the cast on his arm would make that difficult. Sasuke looked just as bad as he did, which made him feel little better. At least he wasn't the only one suffering. After being bedridden in the wing, he was itching to do something, anything.

The door opened and Naruto jumped, hissing in pain as his injuries protested the movement. Iruka marched in followed by Kakashi and a third person Naruto didn't really know but who seemed familiar. The uniform he wore was similar to Kakashi's but less impressive; it lacked the adornments and power that Kakashi exuded. He was likely the other sector's Marshall. Oh boy.

With a terse expression and rigid shoulders, Iruka looked at the two of them, disappointment and anger evident. "Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, you are hereby banned from any pilot duty as well as training and recreational events for violating the rules put forth by the LOCCENT for the safety and wellbeing of all personnel on base. The severity of your violation dictates a swift and equally severe punishment be placed."

Naruto gasped, fear icing his veins. "..what, wait, Iruka," he begged but Iruka steamrolled through his plea.

"Until you, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, are deemed repentant and have fully completed the punishment bestowed upon you, Konoha Green will be inactivated. Should you continue to violate the credence, your statuses as pilots will be revoked and there will be no pardon. Removal off base will be imminent and your assigned Jaeger will be allocated to a different team.

Naruto let out a distressed noise. "Wait, you can't—"

"Naruto, I suggest you shut up," Kakashi spoke up, breaking his statuesque silence. "You have no further say in this, your actions have spoken for you. For the both of you." The look he sent Sasuke made the raven shift minutely.

"I think they've done quite enough damage," the third man sneered, rounding in on Iruka who was ultimately unimpressed with the man's sad attempt at being threatening. "It was a mistake to bring that boy here to partner up with your little monster, Iruka." He jutted his hand out, pointing at Naruto. "He's never even been in an actual fight and now they've gone and harmed most of my team. Kabuto won't be able to pilot anymore!"

With tight lips, Iruka nodded slowly. "I understand that Mizuki. We—"

"No, you don't understand. You're just full of pity for him. I don't want them here, causing more destruction!"

"We got into a little fight, hardly causing 'destruction'," Naruto scoffed.

"Naruto you and I will speak later. Stay silent," Iruka warned with a hand raised to the blond, but Mizuki interjected rudely, jamming his finger in Iruka's face.

"What, going to pamper him even more?" He turned to Naruto, that familiar hatred burning in his eyes. "My team was supposed to run defense today. Two Bijuus entered from the Breach moments after your 'little fight' and we were unable to respond on time."

"The damage was limited, but we were set back," Iruka smoothed over, a vein throbbing at his temple. His voice was tightly controlled. "Mizuki, calm yourself."

"Why don't you tell the little freak here he needs to calm down? I'm not the one putting everyone at risk by injuring other rangers on active duty."

"Watch your tone." Kakashi stepped between Iruka and Mizuki, his piercing mismatched scowl aimed at the white-haired man. "Need we remind you that your cadets pulled a knife on my protégé, with the intent to injure?"

"Tsk." He twisted away from Kakashi, once again eyeing Naruto, and Naruto couldn't help the snarl curling his lips. "You two are a goddamn disgrace. Keep this up and you're going to get us all killed."

"You gotta fucking problem with me, say it." Naruto stood, ignoring the pain in his legs. Marshall or not, this guy was pissing him off and Naruto wouldn't stand for it. "Be a man and say it to my face." He seethed, daring Mizuki to take him up. Mizuki moved towards him.

Sasuke rose, clearly in agony as well. He shuffled forward, placing himself a few inches in front of Naruto. "If you take another step closer to him, you'll be dealing with me as well."

Naruto blinked in surprise, his anger diffusing slightly. Sasuke was defending him?

Iruka snapped. "Jesus Christ, you two  _sit down_. Mizuki, enough. Leave now and save your dignity before I have to show you why I have precedence over you." He threatened darkly, his tone booking nor argument. He met the other's glare head on and pointed at the door. The dismissal rang loud in the air.

Cursing, the man left, slamming the door behind him. Once he was gone, Iruka seemed to deflate, shoulders dropping. He sat on the edge of his desk and sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck as he tilted his head back and looked up. "What exactly are the two of you trying to do?"

Naruto bit his lip. He sat down and glanced away, feeling ashamed. The heat from his anger at Mizuki dispersed, leaving only humiliation.

"Naruto I expected better of you. I'm disappointed."

Shit that stung. Naruto winced and bowed his head. He knew how much flak Iruka got for keeping him in the program and knew how hard the man worked to let him have the same opportunities as the other cadets. Truthfully, that hadn't been on his mind when he joined Sasuke in the fight, but it rankled that he should have thought ahead.

"Perhaps Naruto and Sasuke weren't completely in the fault." Kakashi sat next to Iruka, grabbing a pen off the desk to twirl around his fingers.

"Don't give me that, I know Mizuki's little shitheads started it," Iruka growled. "But that's not how the board saw it. They've never been fond of Naruto and are jumping at any excuse to get rid of him. This only solidifies their dislike."

"Personally I liked how you placed your title on the line in his defense. Risky move, even if it pays off."

From the dirty look Iruka shot Kakashi, Naruto knew the man had revealed that on purpose. It was a warning. If he went down, Iruka was going down as well. Dear god did he ever love that man, but that was a move even he would be hesitant to make. Just how much trust did Iruka have in him?

"And you."

Kakashi fluidly slid off the desk and stopped inches before Sasuke. His gaze held no pity for the pathetic state the raven was in.

Sasuke had remained standing when Naruto had sat down. As Kakashi turned on him, he stood up straighter, squaring his shoulders and stiffening his spine.

Naruto felt the absurd urge to stand between them, ready to defend Sasuke again. But this wasn't his fight, so he kept silent, his eyes wide. How did Kakashi deal punishment?

Much to his dismay Kakashi spoke in Russian, his tone scathing. Whatever he was saying had Sasuke grimacing and responding rigidly, appearing as if he wanted to argue but knew better. Then Kakashi tilted his head and said a few more words, his red and grey eyes boring into Sasuke's obsidian ones. Sasuke froze, his eyes widening minutely. He bowed his head slightly, a dark scowl twisting his features before it quickly smoothed away to his usual mask.

As if satisfied, Kakashi stepped back. "Now if you all excuse me, I have some business to attend to." He bid them all goodbye and left. The room seemed a little lighter with him gone, easier to breathe.

"You all right?" Naruto leaned over to Sasuke, concerned. "What'd he say?"

"A reminder is all," Sasuke answered, his voice holding an edge of what Naruto could tell was irritation.

"What, like don't fight the people you're supposed to be helping?" Naruto snorted.

Sasuke exhaled sharply. Almost a laugh, but not quite. "Something like that."

Naruto vowed to make the raven laugh, at least once. And not a pissy little chuckle, a full on laugh.

"Seeing as I've told you to the ramifications of your actions, now comes the punishment as agreed upon by the board under our skillful manipulation to ease the severity." Iruka dropped down in his chair, rifling through a thin stack of papers that had been stamped.

"Oh boy, is it cafeteria work again, 'cuz that didn't go so well last time. Or is it working on construction of the wall? I keep hearing complaints about it not being effective," Naruto hedged, wracking his brains to remember what other menial task he's been subjected to do after getting in trouble. "Though I was okay being a techie for a day before you removed me from ever doing it again because of a few flubs."

"None of those. We decided upon a meaningful labor-intensive task that will allow you both to reflect upon your actions, hopefully instilling some self-control over your impulsive behavior. You will begin once your injuries have healed enough for the work."

Naruto blanched. "What is it?" Beside him Sasuke stared at Iruka in curiosity, his gaze shifting to Naruto and back.

Iruka smiled at them, a sight straight out of a horror movie. "You two are assigned the duty of cleaning Konoha Green's armor until I deem you repentant. Have fun boys." Smugly, Iruka looked down, enjoying the dead silence after he spoke. "Where's my pen?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you've enjoyed the update :)


	3. Secrets

Iruka granted them the mercy of having the bay gates shut to allow them privacy in their punishment. They were also given an array of equipment that would aid them in cleaning two hundred and sixty feet of metal, not including the thick hexagonal panels that made up Konoha Green's visor, the enormous floodlight ports, and barrels of oil used to lubricate Green's mechanical joints.

They were commanded to begin once they were released from their casts and bandages. Not to say they weren't still sore, but at least they could move around freely again.

Naruto stared up at his beloved Jaeger, a mixture of pride and despair in his eyes. "So how do we start?" His head didn't even come close to reaching the top of Green's armor-plated foot. How the fuck were they expected to clean this behemoth? It wasn't their job anyway; techies did maintenance and whatnot, tasked with cleaning the Bijuu blood from weapons before they eroded. Iruka sure could choose his punishments.

"From the top, working down."

The itchy coveralls they wore agitated Naruto. He picked at the fabric, sighing. "Yea, great."

Sasuke seemed to take the work in stride. He quickly slipped on a harness that was attached to a several arching columns above the Jaeger and ascended up to the top lift. It was the one used to enter Green's head, resting outside of its usual position. Once he was up, he stood on the robot's shoulder & secured himself.

Naruto followed suit, taking longer as he walked up the Jaeger's leg and chest, pulling himself as he marched up like a hiker. Nearing the shoulder, he spied Sasuke watching him, an exasperated look on his face. Naruto gave him a cheeky grin and held out a hand. Sasuke grabbed him roughly and hauled him up.

"We're never going to get finished at this rate."

Naruto couldn't help himself despite his internal warning to keep things civil between them. Things had gone relatively smooth since the fight, but Naruto still held some resentment that often popped up unexpectedly. "Not like you care."

It was clear he caught Sasuke off guard by the raised eyebrows and the way Sasuke stilled. Naruto glanced away, not wanting to apologize.

He attached himself to the Jaeger with magnetic clamps so he wouldn't fall off and began to shine the corners where the Jaeger's body would connect with the head, wiping off the residual layers of dirt and grime that built up. The metal required certain treatments due to the salty air around the harbor, so a specialized mixture of chemicals needed to be applied liberally. Naruto dutifully worked.

He hadn't realized he had been cleaning the same spot over and over until he saw his reflection shine back at him. He looked irritated; eyebrows furrowed, wrinkled forehead, lips set in a frown. In the image he could see Sasuke's back. The other hadn't moved.

"Does it bother you that much?"

Naruto winced when Sasuke spoke quietly, averting his gaze from his reflection. "It does."

"Why?"

He hesitated. "I'm not sure I could give you a good explanation."

"I'm sure I can figure it out if you tell me."

"I'm not sure I want you to know."

Sasuke was silent for a moment before countering with a different question. "Why did you help me?"

"What is this, twenty questions? I thought you were supposed to be the quiet one and I was the talkative one." Naruto bit out, sound harsher than he meant to. He returned to cleaning, putting more force than he had previously. His knuckles were white with force.

"You don't like the reason you helped me, but you did it anyway."

"Maybe I just don't like you, thought of that?"

"Yet you entered my fight and got in trouble. Do you do that for all those you don't like?"

Naruto threw down the rag he was using and turned to face Sasuke. "Okay, what do you want from me?"

"Maybe I'm trying to understand something."

"Understand what?"

"You tell me."

Naruto lifted his hands, palms up. "I can't tell you what I don't know!"

Sasuke eyed him critically, forehead creased as he debated something. "Naruto, have you heard of ghost-drifting?"

The sound of his name with the Russian lilt to it sounded strangely exotic. Was that the first time Sasuke said his name? With a flush, Naruto focused, clearing his throat. "Yea. Sorta."

Sasuke looked confused for a moment before continuing. "When ghost-drifting occurs, either both pilots or just one are connected through a subdued, almost psychic link, even after detaching from the Jaeger's systems. It's an unintended consequence to linking mentally to another person and sharing a mind."

"And the point of this lesson is….?"

" _You tell me_ ," Sasuke repeated, echoing his own words. He sent a pointed look at Naruto.

Naruto blanched, blinking rapidly. "You're..?"

Sasuke nodded once.

"Since when?"

"The last time we linked."

Naruto gaped. "That was like, months ago."

Sasuke nodded again, grimacing. "You can see why I'm asking. I've been dealing with the whiplash of your emotions for quite some time now and would appreciate a respite."

"So you can read my mind?" Naruto internally panicked, thinking back if he had ever thought something indecent. But if he's thinking of it now, wouldn't Sasuke see it again?

"Stop," Sasuke ordered, his accent coming out heavier.

Jesus, was this allowed? Was he to never have privacy again?

" _I told you to stop_ ," Sasuke repeated, stepping closer to Naruto. "If you're worried about me being able to read your mind, rest assured I can't."

Naruto moved to step back but stilled. Relief flooded him. "So then what are you reading?"

"Like I mentioned before, your emotions. I get waves of whatever mood you're in, and it disrupts my thinking. It's not concentrated enough for me to see what you're thinking, just to get a sense."

"Whoa, really?" Naruto watched Sasuke as he tried hard to think of something that would make him happy. An image of them piloting Green into battle sprung up, easily pleasing him. He grinned when Sasuke groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It's disturbing. You wear different moods like clothes, fluctuating wildly and frequently. One minute you're mad, the next you're happy."

"Do you get mad then happy?"

"Not fully. I can recognize they come from you, but it….envelopes my own mental state. Whenever it strikes you to be glad, I feel remnants of that which follow me until you either stop or switch moods. I'm rarely able to brush it away on my own. If you're confused, I feel it and it's insanely distracting. I feel anger geared towards myself." Sasuke met his eyes, and Naruto could see his question. "Need I say more?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "How bad is it?"

Sasuke looked away. "It was worse."

"And the fight?"

"A mixture of my own agitation, your anger, and a sense of calm."

"I was meditating when Kiba came and got me."

"Which explains the calm. They didn't appreciate my lack of cowardice or reaction to their taunting."

Naruto ran his tongue over his teeth, taking in a deep breath. "I helped because you're my partner, the only one I've had any success with, and because you're a human being who didn't stand a chance going up against that many," He huffed. "I was pissed yea, but I wasn't gonna let you get beat up to satisfy my own anger. I care."

"And I don't. Which makes you angry." Sasuke analyzed.

"Yes." Naruto plopped down and drummed his fingers on the cool metal beneath his palm. His digits faltered and lost their rhythm as Sasuke sat next to him, shoulder's almost touching. Sasuke hummed, a quiet noise that raised the hairs on the back of Naruto's neck. He nearly shivered.

"Does that deter you from wanting to be partners?"

Naruto wavered at Sasuke's unusually low tone. "No. But I don't want use you either."

"How is that using me?"

"You're the only one who can synch with me apparently, so I need you to do what I want," Naruto explained stubbornly. "It wouldn't be a problem if you met me halfway and at least had something you're fighting for, like me. But this is just a job, so you don't really care."

Sasuke sighed, his head tilting back. "My brother's undergoing invasive surgery to fight his autoimmune disease, which is only treatable in the country's most expensive hospital. I was working in perimeter patrol to try to scrape together enough money for his treatment among other amenities. When I got the message from Kakashi, it was like a godsend. I was looking on to take a different job because we were barely getting by and the expenses were mounting. With this job, I would be able to pay for Itachi's treatment and much more. I took it with the mentality that I would put up with anything; if we didn't get along, I'd make sure to keep an apathetic exterior as to not risk losing this position. Happy?"

Naruto sat in stunned silence, absorbing the information. He let out an aggravated yell and leaned roughly against Sasuke, not quite resting his head on Sasuke's shoulder. His heart kicked up and his hands felt a bit clammy the moment they made contact. "Do you know how much easier this would have been if you would have told me early on?"

To his credit, Sasuke didn't move away, subtly adjusting with the added weight. "It was my burden to bear. Even then, I knew nothing about you. I generally don't reveal my intentions to strangers."

"You're telling me now."

"Hn." Sasuke nudged him and Naruto smiled.

"How come you're telling me now?"

"You were angry at me, and not for any reason I could figure out. It caught me off guard, to be honest."

"Was that confusing? Not knowing why you were feeling there way you were?"

"Irritating more so than confusing. I didn't make the connection between your moods and what I was feeling until later, once I noticed a pattern."

"I have patterns?"

"A few I've picked up on and internalized."

Naruto could feel the vibrations of Sasuke talking. He closed his eyes and snorted. "What changed your mind about me?"

"You jumping into my fight."

Startled, Naruto opened his eyes and craned his head to see Sasuke's. He hadn't realized how close they were. Sasuke's dark eyes met his and darted down slightly before meeting again. The raven licked his bottom lip and Naruto bit his own, feeling heat rise in his cheeks. "H-how did that help?"

Sasuke glanced away and Naruto couldn't help the slight twinge of disappointment that ran through him. Remembering that Sasuke was tuned into his emotions, Naruto swiftly looked away; he was treading in dangerous waters now. Even then, he kept his place, not wanting to move away.

"If you had let me fight it all on my own, it'd be clear our partnership was nothing more than a business transaction on both ends. I could've worked with that, each of us having our distance."

Hearing Sasuke hesitate, Naruto shifted minutely. Unsure of what to do, he played with the fabric of his coveralls, absentmindedly remembering they were supposed to be working. He brushed the thought aside.

As the silence stretched on, Naruto found himself disliking the quiet. He wanted Sasuke to keep talking. This was the furthest they ever gotten and he didn't want it to end. "I didn't even think about it." Naruto almost whispered. "I did watch for a bit, but I knew you could easily handle them. Once I realized you couldn't, that's when I jumped in."

"Risking your title, the respect of your sector mates; putting yourself in danger." Sasuke continued, equally as soft. "You were different, and so I changed my mind."

"Well, that just makes things easier for me," Naruto blew out, aware of a mounting tension between them. He tried to shrug it off. "Now I can stop being mad at you."

"Hn."

Sasuke's little noise sounded amused. Naruto preened.

**xXx**

It took them approximately seventeen days, fifteen hours, and two minutes to finish. Not that Naruto was counting.

Exhausted, he sprawled down on his bed and heaved a long groan, sluggishly toeing off his boots. His entire body ached and creaked liked he was an old man. "God, that took forever," he mumbled, grabbing his pillow and cradling it in his arms. "Never again."

Swift knocking on the door caused Naruto to groan again. "What!" he yelled, his voice muffled as he pressed his pillow to his face. The door opened and closed. Naruto knew it wasn't Sasuke since the raven was off with Kakashi doing something he wouldn't explain. So that left—

"Naruto, Iruka is looking for you."

Hearing the familiar voice, Naruto tossed his pillow down and sat up slowly. "Hey Kiba."

"Heard you guys finally finished your punishment." Kiba sat down on Sasuke's bed, reaching over to poke at the stuff Sasuke had on his bedside table. "Took ya long enough."

"Don't fucking remind me," Naruto sighed. "I'm just glad to be done."

"How'd things go anyways?" Kiba looked up, holding something small in his hands before putting it down, uninterested. "Between you two I mean."

Naruto snorted. "You make it sound like we were dating and broke up."

Kiba sent him a funny look. "For all the bitching you were doing, you might as well have. My ears are still sore. So, to be or not to be?"

"Nah, we're cool. He's still sort of a bastard, but I'm getting used to it." Naruto thought about revealing Sasuke's instances of ghost-drifting, but it felt like a secret, something strictly between them. He kept quiet.

"Sweet, good to see things are working out."

"How're you and Ino doing?" Naruto grinned, attempting to change the topic.

"Oh man." Kiba moaned out, grinning and showing off his sharp canines. "She's fucking wild. I thought I had something for the quiet ones, but she's a-fucking-mazing. Smart, tough, outspoken, and a complete vixen in the bed." He placed a hand over his heart and looked up dramatically. "I think I'm in love."

"Moving pretty fast."

"Unexpected but not unwanted. She's meeting me toe for toe."

"Congrats." Naruto nodded, impressed.

"Yea, she's thinking about moving up in position, and possibly taking over her dad's job. Psyche analyst and all that."

"What about you? Aren't you close to being a certified Engineer?"

"Yup. Gonna be heading up my own team soon."

"Gasp, are you leaving my squad? Whatever shall I do?" Naruto fell back, a stricken look warring with a grin to stay on his face.

Kiba snorted as he laughed. "Maybe your miracle partner can help you with that. Speaking of which, where's he at?"

Naruto shrugged. "Kakashi called him away and I've been by myself for a while now."

"Ya know, you should find someone to  _chill_  with in your spare time." Kiba waggled his eyebrows.

"Why Kiba, are you offering? I didn't know you felt that way about me." Naruto rose to his feet, clasping his hands at his chest. "But I don't know if you'd be able to handle me." He blinked rapidly and pursed his lips, cooing.

Kiba stood and pointed at his crotch lazily. "Baby, I don't know if you'd be able to handle all this dick as I'd fuck your brains out all night long until…" The brunet froze, his eyes stuck on something behind Naruto.

Embarrassment coloring his cheeks, Naruto turned slowly to find Sasuke standing in the doorway, a small metallic box in one hand and a mug of steaming coffee in the other. The raven had an eyebrow raised as he looked from him to Kiba.

"Right, Iruka's looking for you. Later." Excusing himself, Kiba left in record time, darting past Sasuke and into the hallway.

Naruto lowered his arms, feeling as if he had been caught doing something bad, which didn't make sense since there was absolutely nothing between them. "Um, I, uh,"

"If you're going to do shit in here, keep it to your side." Sasuke moved to his bed, setting the box down and taking a sip from his cup. "And preferably when I'm not here."

"Ah, it wasn't like that. I don't," Naruto licked his lips nervously, "Kiba's got Ino, we were just messing around. A stupid joke," he finished hastily.

Sasuke eyed him intensely for a few seconds before returning to his box. He cracked it open and shuffled through its contents.

Naruto blew out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck. Sasuke was giving off some weird vibes that he couldn't place. He shuffled over to Sasuke's bed. "So what's in the box?"

"My brother sent me a gift."

Fascinated, Naruto hummed, eager to brush the earlier moment aside. "What is it?"

"Not sure." Sasuke murmured, his eyebrows furrowed as he procured a small item. It looked like a miniscule totem, with different animal faces carved into the smooth wood. At the top was Konoha Green's head, surprisingly replicated perfectly. Had Sasuke sent a picture of the Jaeger to his brother? Or did he already know?

"A good luck charm, I think."

"Hn."

He appeared disinterested, but Sasuke placed the small wooden structure carefully on his bedside table, turning it to face him. He mumbled something but Naruto didn't catch it, only paying attention to his accent. He wondered what Sasuke's brother sounded like. Did they have similar vocal tones? Was his accent as sensual as Sasuke's? It made a man curious.

"Hey Sasuke, I wanna try something next time we drift."

Sasuke glanced up from his new adornment and cocked his head a degree. His eyes were ringed with light purple, a token of how drained he was. Dark eyes were slightly bloodshot, but gleamed with intelligence and wit. They suited his pale skin and black-blue hair, which stuck to his temple with a sheen that suggested a recent shower. Sasuke was a damn good looking man, even when he was fatigued and staring back at him suspiciously.

"Naruto, what?"

The raven's voice drew him out of his reverie and Naruto flushed. He must have been staring for a while, not even registering that Sasuke had answered him before. "I wanted to see if I could work on controlling my own mind, with you there as a buffer. You said you could control your own easily, and I want to learn how to do it."

Sasuke looked vaguely surprised, but he nodded, reaching up to rub at one of his tired eyes. "If you want to, I can give you lessons. While I can't say you'll be able to achieve complete dominance, you'll at least have ways of modifying and adjusting your neural load to enter the drift at a faster and smoother rate."

Naruto nodded rapidly. "Wanna do it now?" He asked, raising his eyebrows with a hopeful grin. Iruka could wait a little longer.

**xXx**

The old techie room was always empty, set back in a corner that hid it from the rest of the world. Inside were abandoned machines with dust coatings, defective suits, spare Jaeger parts, malfunctioning holographic projectors, you name it. It held ancient equipment that was no longer in use, all cluttered together along the walls of the spacious room. No one ever traveled in this wing once the newer decks had been built, but Naruto remembered it well.

There was a reason he had always beat Iruka at hide and seek.

Ushering an apprehensive and doubtful Sasuke inside the room, Naruto forced the door closed with a grunt. The ID pad no longer worked, so entry was manual. It helped deter unwanted guests who couldn't figure out how to edge the door open with a crowbar hidden in the nearby sanitation room.

"Naruto, this—"

Naruto held up his hands. "Wait, before you begin, I know what I'm doing. Iruka had me working as a techie for a while and I occasionally had to come here for additional parts and whatnot. Don't worry."

Sasuke closed his mouth, but the cynical look didn't leave. "I thought we were going to Iruka's to get him to fire the system up. And isn't he looking for you?"

Blond locks whirled around as Naruto shook his head. "Nah, we won't need the entire Jaeger's system for this. Anyways, we're just practicing which won't take long." Naruto pointed to the middle of the room, where a small clearing gave them room to move around. "Wait here, I'll bring it out."

He heard Sasuke sigh before the light thud of him sitting down. Eager, Naruto made a beeline for the area where he knew some old drift gear rested. Sure it was timeworn, but he was relatively sure it could do its job.

Naruto scooted a few crates of loose tangled wires and pieces of twisted metal around, pulling out a separate box. Inside was a strange contraption that appeared to be hastily made, barely holding itself together.

"This beauty is one of the first prototypes of the Pons System before it was assembled into a Jaeger. If it weren't for this, we'd be suffering the neural load and dying from brain damage."

He dragged it over to Sasuke, and sat in front of him, crossing his legs. Reaching into the box, he took out several items and began fitting them on. A three-pronged claw-like end went on the crown of his head, beeping and glowing a faint red as he booted it up and it clamped down. It was secured to a leather collar that he buttoned closed, which rested next to a bulky metal device that surrounded his neck and left only his throat exposed.

Sasuke eyed the gadget. "That looks broken."

Naruto sniffed. "She's fine."

Once he was done strapping everything on, he looked up to see Sasuke rubbing both his eyes, clearly exhausted. Naruto felt a tiny bit guilty at steering Sasuke to help him out when the raven was obviously not in the best state, but the thought of finally being in control pushed it away.

Silently, Sasuke mimicked him, swiftly attaching everything to his body. He fidgeted with the head strap, holding back a yawn. "I'll let you try it on your own first; should you fail, I'll step in and guide you."

Naruto held up the small box that held the final switch that would connected them. A tiny cracked screen awaited the oncoming neural connection to read. "You ready?"

"Hn."

"First lesson on controlling my mind, take one." Naruto blew out a measured breath, feeling incredibly nervous. "Here we go." His thumb pressed down and the box beeped.

It wasn't as painful as before, which Naruto greatly appreciated. This time it felt like an egg beater had been shoved into his head and turned on high while he was hit by a car and repeatedly run-over. Again, sharp flashes of blue and white assaulted his eyes, leaving him nearly blind with the intensity. Dry heaving, Naruto opened his sore eyes to find himself back in the winter wonderland that Sasuke had showed him the first time.

The now familiar snowflakes drifted down, this time falling on his regular clothing rather than his drivesuit. He could feel the temperature this go round, shivering as the cold seeped into his body and stole away his warmth.

Wrapping his arms around his torso, Naruto began to walk, marching through the snowy ground that went on as far as the eye could see. Aimlessly he wandered, debating on what to do. He actually had no idea how to try to gain control; he had been hoping something in him would just know and he'd be able to just  _do it_.

Apparently not.

The thought that Sasuke was waiting for him didn't help. Pressured, Naruto let out an agitated shout after what felt like a good twenty minutes of purposeless walking; he was fucking getting nowhere! The icy temperature was getting worse. He was trembling and his extremities were cyan-tinted; his breath came out in rapid puffs of white.

He slowed to a stop, closed his eyes, and began to try and force himself out of this winter hellhole. His face scrunched with the force of his concentration. Seconds ticked by. Okay, pretending he was back in the techie room didn't help. Furtively, he pictured sunny beaches and hot summer days in an attempt to change the landscape; the lack of alteration made it clear he had no power over the world. He was usually aided by Iruka in the LOCCENT when pulling out of the simulation, making it impossible for him to do it alone.

So then where was Sasuke?

Trying again out of frustration, Naruto visualized Sasuke with him. Maybe Sasuke exerted some mental force that affected the environment. If he could imagine Sasuke doing it, maybe he could copy it. Faintly, he felt something inside his mind  _push_ , and he zoned in on the feeling. Warmth bloomed in his chest and down his body the more he fixated on that feeble sensation, drawing towards it.…Was he doing it?

Naruto opened his eyes after another couple of minutes, ready to call quits. Startled, he hadn't expect to see Sasuke sitting down in front of him, eyes closed and hands in a similar fashion to his mediation pose. Seemingly unaware of the snow falling on him or the fact that he as sitting on the icy slush, Sasuke kept still, breathing in and out slowly. He was a black smudge against an ocean of white.

"Sasuke?" Naruto called out, his lips chattering. He reached forward, half expecting his hand to go through the raven as if he were just a hallucination. The closer he moved in, the warmer he felt. His fingers were inches from Sasuke's pale cheek.

Sasuke's head shot up and his eyes opened in shock. Naruto withdrew his arm and stepped back quickly.

"Naruto?" Sasuke gazed around, the confusion on his face quickly melting into alarm. "Oh fuck." He lunged forward, reaching for Naruto.

And he was gone.

Naruto stumbled back as vertigo inundated him and white collapsed into black. Dizzy and light-headed, he struggled to regain his balance, rubbing both eyes with his hands. "Ohhhh fuck." Bit by bit the sensation ebbed away and he was able to look around without the urge to puke. He peeked out from between his fingers. This was definitely not Sasuke's winter hellhole.

He was in a room, staring at a dull wallpaper pattern and an empty chair. Small beeps and hums drifted into focus, bringing along the sharp smell of antiseptic and something tooth-achingly sweet. Naruto slowly turned, utterly confused. What the fuck had just happened?

His disorientation tripled before he finally realized where he was. The gaunt man lying in the bed, attached to multiple tubes and wires, looked strikingly like an older Sasuke if he decided to grow his hair out. He was speaking softly to another person who stood by the bed, reaching up with bony hands gesture at him. Naruto was in a hospital. Correction, a hospital he's never seen before.

A younger Sasuke was frowning, moving to gently hold the man's hands. Sasuke spoke, the words in another tongue but the pain apparent. Naruto felt intrusive, observing this emotional moment between brothers. How had he managed to get there, anyway? Could he affect a memory?

Curious, he stepped forward and placed a hand on the sheets covering a thin leg. His hand sank through and the image dissolved, turning into gas that dispersed through his digits.

Naruto whirled around to see he another memory had sprung up behind him. This time, an older Sasuke was studying a manual on a Jaeger model Naruto had never seen before. The raven was absorbed in reading, jotting down small notes in neat handwriting along the margins. The boy was alone at a small desk in a darkened room, accompanied by only the gentle quiet of snowfall. Echoes of emptiness and loneliness supplemented the reminiscence. His brother was in the hospital, and his parents were gone. Sasuke was alone.

A sense of kinship and sadness filled Naruto's chest. He ached for Sasuke, understanding his struggles and sorrow. Part of him wanted to comfort the raven, but he knew there was no point. Before he could move the memory vanished, replaced by yet another.

They were back in the hospital room, but this time Sasuke's brother looked much worse. He was emaciated, all bone and jaundiced skin. His sharp black hair was thinning and the lines on the sides of his nose were thicker. But surprisingly, he was smiling and sitting up, his eyes glowing with pride and vigor. Naruto followed his gaze and noticed a present-day Sasuke standing tall in the doorway, fully outfitted in an official black and red Ranger uniform with a decorated beret resting on his head. Clutched in his hand were a stack of papers Naruto recognized as the ones Iruka sent out as applications and a single airplane ticket. A familiar suitcase was at his feet.

Sasuke responded to something his brother said, nodding curtly before turning on his heel and leaving, his back straight and shoulders high. Confidence, sorrow, and eagerness swamped the recollection. Was this their goodbye? Was that the last time Sasuke saw his brother? Naruto stared at the man who had frozen in place the moment Sasuke left the room. Everything had gone still, immobile as if it were a picture. Uneasy, he trailed Sasuke, freezing when the scenery morphed once again and the memory disappeared. He blinked.

Blond hair and blue eyes met Naruto's matching pair. Dumbfounded, he realized he was seeing Sasuke's first memory of him, back in the simulation room. Sasuke was entirely focused on him, watching with a strange intensity before finally stepping up to join the game. Strings of interest and mystery tinged the remembrance, revealing hints of Sasuke's mood and thoughts. He vaguely grasped that his looks were new to Sasuke, as was his brash attitude; the man was intrigued.

More and more images flew by, each revealing new information before warping into another scene. Naruto worked to comprehend what he was absorbing, but soon it became too much, overwhelming him. The more he saw, the greater a heavy pressure in his mind behind his eyes became. He couldn't take it, crying out and clutching his head in desperation.

" _Naruto_!"

He blinked, hearing Sasuke's voice cut through a strange haze that had begun to surround him with the intense headache. Naruto balled a hand on his shirt, his breathing rapidly becoming labored and heavy. He could barely inhale, his trachea refusing to draw air. Squinting, his vision blurred and grayed. He pitched forward, bracing himself on his knees. What the hell was happening?

He convulsed and suddenly snapped back to his own body, his back meeting the concrete of the techie room. Waves of pain met him with open arms, embracing him tightly. "Hnng!" His head was burning and everything was fading to black. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move; he felt disconnected, scarcely there, enclosed by a comforting haze that made everything foggy and indiscernible. Only just hanging on, Naruto sensed air force its way into his lungs and felt his body jerk as something pushed down on his chest repeatedly. It was really fucking annoying.

"Naruto, fuck! Come back!"

Back? Where had he gone? He was right here. But Sasuke sounded worried. Latching onto Sasuke's voice, Naruto felt a painful tingling sensation rip across his body and the haze faltered; his chest heaved as he tried to inhale. His fingers trembled as they finally responded, curling slightly. Unable to open his eyes, Naruto felt something press to his lips, pushing air down his throat again. Curious, he sluggishly tried to lick whatever it was. Something brushed his tongue, and the flavor of iron and copper invaded his mouth. Blood? Who was bleeding?

Naruto licked again, this time pursing his lips to gauge. He paused as his lips came in contact with something soft and warm, and a small  _ding_  went off in his mind. Was Sasuke kissing him?  _Oh_.

Oh. Okay.

He might as well give back. Naruto tried to tilt his head but found his motor skills restricted to his fingers and face. His eyes managed to crack open, settling on Sasuke's ashen face that hovered inches from his own. Blood steadily dripping from Sasuke's nose, which explained the taste.

"You've got red on you," Naruto croaked, his voice raw. He struggled to swallow, feeling as though knives were carving the delicate tissue. "Ow."

"You idiot." Sasuke snapped, leaning away. He carelessly swiped a hand under his nose, inspecting the crimson liquid. Moving carefully, Sasuke helped Naruto sit up, anchoring and arm across his back to keep him upright. "Nod if you're alright."

Naruto nodded faintly. He bit back a whimper of pain as bolts of agony zipped around in his head, making him nauseous. "Owww." The comfortable haze was gone, leaving him defenseless against the onslaught of his senses.

"Shit," Sasuke cursed, adding more words that Naruto couldn't understand. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Not sure myself," Naruto whispered. With minimal success, he lifted his arms. They shifted lethargically, but Naruto persisted. "Help me up."

After a few minutes of regaining control over his extremities and Sasuke watching him like a hawk, Naruto was able to stand. Still leaning heavily on Sasuke, he inched forward on his feet. It felt as if he were wading through warm jello.

"Where's the infirmary?"

Naruto made a noise of opposition, wrapping an arm around Sasuke's neck as his legs threatened to give out. "I'm fine, just need to get my bearings." He felt Sasuke's arms secure to his waist and armpit tightly. He had kissed Sasuke. Sasuke had kissed him, for a brief moment.

Cold, pale fingers shoved his right eyelid up. "You have blood in your sclera. You may have opened lesions on your brain, possibly hemorrhaging or—"

Naruto insisted. "I'll be fine, I just need to rest for a bit. Help me back to the room. Please."

Reluctantly, Sasuke half-dragged half-carried Naruto back to their shared room. He deposited Naruto on his bed a tad roughly once they managed to get by nosy cadets and inquisitive passersby. By then, Naruto had reclaimed control of most of his body and managed to keep from falling down. A killer headache was all that was left of their attempt after Sasuke wiped his nose and changed his bloodied shirt.

Blue eyes stared up at the ceiling, recalling Sasuke's brother in his hospital bed. It was painful to bring up the memory because a tsunami of afterimages came with it, but Naruto kept at it. "What exactly happened?"

Sasuke sat down next to him, and Naruto shifted to accommodate, letting his arm brush Sasuke's thigh. "You entered the space I pushed you into last time. You were supposed to seek your own mental strength and exit, but you didn't. Shortly thereafter, you managed to pull me in somehow. Once I realized what happened, I tried to push you back but you used the link to enter the recesses off my mind and memories." The raven rubbed his nose, traces of blood still lingering.

"You look like your brother."

"So I've been told."

Naruto hummed. "Are you mad?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I get the feeling you're mad, and it's not because I went into cardiac arrest."

"Some would argue that would a suitable reason to be mad."

"You're angry. No, irritated. Did it bother you that I saw your past?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"Why do you think I'm irritated?"

Naruto reached up and tapped his temple, shooting a toothy grin at Sasuke. "You tell me."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly before recognition dawned in. "….Hn."

"My turn, I guess."

Sasuke didn't respond, but he stayed next to Naruto on the bed, slouching a bit the more he relaxed. They sat in a peaceful silence that gave Naruto a chance to think. Idly humming, he focused on the small wisps of emotions Sasuke gave off, trying to place each shadowy sensation. The touch of irritation persisted, but Naruto couldn't place a cause. He wondered if this was what Sasuke felt when they'd first drifted; if so the man had hid it masterfully. All Naruto wanted to do was explore their new connection, seeing how far it went and how much he could read from it.

It was like a fine gossamer thread that firmly connected them, existing on a plane they could only vaguely sense. There wasn't a physical sensation, but a startling awareness that lingered in his mind, not utterly unpleasant. Naruto plucked at the bond, seeking a reaction but Sasuke refused to acknowledge if he was affected. Naruto grinned slyly, feeling his headache begin to let up finally.

"Ya know, you're supposed to go on a date before you kiss someone. Especially if you're into freaky shit like making out with an unconscious person."

Sasuke looked confused before his expression darkened and tiny vein appeared on his temple, the only physical sign of his annoyance. "CPR is generally welcomed when one is dying."

With the newly established neural bridge between them, Naruto was fascinated by the amount of emotions Sasuke didn't show, but experienced. He wanted to feel more. "Blood doesn't make such a good flavor either."

"Naruto, I swear to—"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm not having this discussion with you." Sasuke tersely stood up, finding himself trapped as Naruto grabbed his shirt and tried to tug him back.

"I'd say I'm the only person you should be having this conversation with." Naruto wiggled his eyebrows and snorted as Sasuke tried to freeze him with an arctic glare. Tingles of exasperation and drops of amusement fluttered across the link, heightening his belief that Sasuke did indeed like him. Or wanted to fuck him, he was cool with either.

"You're obviously suffering mental damage, as well as delusions. I should call Iruka and have him order you to the medical wing for a CT scan." Sasuke tugged his shirt out of Naruto's hand made his way to the door.

"No wonder you were agitated when you walked in on me and Kiba fucking around. You were jealous." Naruto felt smug, unable to stop smiling. He hadn't expected Sasuke to reciprocate his feelings, but apparently the raven had his own agenda. Things had just taken a turn for the better. "I'm flattered."

Sasuke left quickly, leaving Naruto chortling. Oh this was going to be a  _blast_. Sasuke wasn't denying the attraction; there was no way he could with Naruto in his head. The raven was trying to obfuscate his feelings; why, Naruto didn't know, but he was never one to let an opportunity pass by.

Not when there was so much to gain.

**xXx**

He had thought Sasuke was kidding about getting Iruka, but the brunet had come bursting into the room mere minutes after the raven left, followed by Kiba, Kakashi, and a medic squad dragging a crash cart, defibrillator at the ready. Naruto had been dragged by his ears to the medical wing and forced to undergo a battery of scans and tests. The only saving grace was that Sasuke was subjected to the same despite not having as visceral as a reaction like Naruto's. It served him right for tattling.

Iruka, after nearly having a heart attack and an aneurysm in the same day, suspended them until all tests came back and gave them the clear to continue Jaeger work. The techie room was sadly cleared out and all equipment and machinery inside confiscated. It wasn't too big of a loss, since Naruto knew where the items were to be moved. It would just be harder to access them without garnering too much attention, which presented more of a challenge as he and Sasuke were under supervision at the moment.

Currently, the raven was somewhere in the vicinity doing who knows what with Kakashi and Iruka and Naruto was confined to his room, lounging on his bed and generally being bored out of his mind. He caught pieces of Sasuke's interactions through their connection, but it was all technical jargon and boring shit.

He wished Sasuke were with him, as the raven had finally begun to warm up to him. Bit by bit he was piecing together who Sasuke was and the more he found out about him, the more Naruto liked him, which made things a little difficult as Sasuke wouldn't make a goddamn move.

And it's not like he hadn't given him plenty of opportunities; Even Iruka had picked up on the hints, asking Naruto to tone it down while in public. Sasuke was just being a stubborn jackass. What made it worse was the he fucking  _knew_  Sasuke was messing with him. The curls of satisfaction and smugness that radiated off the bastard when he knowingly denied Naruto were aggravating.

All he wanted was Sasuke to jump into his bed so they could fuck like bunnies. Or he could go into Sasuke's, he didn't give a shit. He just wanted  _something_  to happen. The frustration and tension was killing him.

Well two could play at that game. If Sasuke toyed with him, he could do the same. Probably. Naruto had realized that his side of the link was stronger due to how recent their last connection was, which meant that he had more insight on Sasuke's thinking than Sasuke had on his. A devilish smile played across Naruto's lips; there was no way Sasuke would see this coming. Maybe it was time to mess with the man for a change.

He crawled off the bed and plopped down in the old wooden roller chair by his desk, scooting back a couple of inches to give himself room. Rifling through the locked bottom drawers, Naruto procured a half-empty bottle of lotion and a box of tissues. A foot came up and nudged the drawer shut as Naruto set the items on the desktop. He hadn't rubbed one out in while and was overdue; it was also going to be interesting to find out Sasuke's reaction.

If his hypothesis was correct, whatever he was feeling would zip down their link and reach Sasuke. What exactly Sasuke would experience he didn't know, but he was nothing if not experimental. Tan hands rubbed together furiously, chasing away the slight chill they had. As they warmed, Naruto browsed his mental library of spunk material, searching for something that would get his blood revving. He paused when he realized his research would probably yield greater results if he used Sasuke, just due to the nature of their drift aftereffects.

A bit odd considering they hadn't done anything, but Naruto prided himself on his incredible imagination. From how much he had been watching the raven recently, it wouldn't be hard to picture a  _more pleasurable_  interaction between them.

The chair creaked as Naruto rested his head on the edge of the back and lowered a hand to rub languidly over his crotch, taking his time to enjoy the build-up. His eyes slid closed as his palm slid along the outline of his dick, applying slight pressure near his head. It was incredibly easy to imagine it was Sasuke's pale hand touching him, teasing and delicious. Naruto felt his blood hum to life and the familiar warmth of arousal rise. Licks of pleasure rolled up his spine, causing him to shift in his seat, parting his legs more.

The pressure increased as his hand began to gently squeeze along his length, the heat of his palm seeping through the layers between skin. Fantasy Sasuke smirked as Naruto rose to attention, beginning to strain against his clothes in a tent. Eagerly, Naruto thumbed the button on his shorts.

Loose grey khakis were shimmied down along with his black boxers, letting his growing erection spring free and bob with energy. Sighing in relief, Naruto returned to his previous position, but not before pouring a good amount of lotion onto his palm. He wasted a few seconds letting the goop warm. Once it was good enough, Naruto hissed and slid his hand down his cock, rotating his wrist as he spread the lotion evenly. Fantasy Sasuke returned and his hand was the one stroking his head, lightly sliding across the tight skin of his shaft and back up. His touch was cool against Naruto's feverish heat.

"Ah fuck." Naruto moaned, his legs falling further apart and his ass shifting down the seat near the edge. His back arched slightly. Fantasy Sasuke gripped his base, tightening and loosening in steady rhythm that had his knees weak. The heavenly fingers drifted up to play with the tip of his cock. He wasn't going to last long if he rushed.

Naruto worked his wrist painfully slow, fully pumping a mind-numbing tempo. A grin twisted his lips before it was torn away by his teeth sinking into his lower lip from a firm and relaxed stroke. He hoped the real Sasuke was enjoying this as much as he was; He could sense tendrils of surprise and indignation across the link. Anger, mixed with arousal. Fantasy Sasuke's hand snuck down to massage his sac, softly tugging the sensitive pouch down as he stroked Naruto's cock toward his stomach. The increased stimulation had Naruto's heart hammering and chest heaving. Saliva pooled in his mouth and he swallowed reflexively.

Drunk desire pulse through his body, focusing on his throbbing dick as white pearls began to seep out of the head. Naruto ran his thumb through the drops of precum, the pad of his finger almost abrasive against the painfully tender skin. His hips twitched, thrusting lightly against his hand as he rocked mindlessly in Fantasy Sasuke's hand. That fucking smirk had his legs twitching and stomach rolling in pleasure, the muscles contracting in rhythm. His toes wriggled.

"Mmm-Sas….Fuck."

Fantasy Sasuke murmured something unintelligible as those devilish lips ghosted down his cock, mouthing him hotly as his cool hand slid over his stiff flesh in tandem. The sharp edge of Sasuke's teeth nipped and nibbled at the surprisingly tender meat of his inner thigh before skirting back up to his length and glans. A jolt of hunger and desire across their link had Naruto jerking suddenly, his hand aching as he moved faster in desperation. Sweat rolled down his temples, not cooling him down in the slightest.

His mouth fell open as he gasped. "Sasuke, Ngh!"

He could  _feel_  Sasuke right there with him, as if the man was truly on his knees before him. It was exhilarating and Naruto couldn't get enough. Noises of muffled whines escaped Naruto as he fought to keep from moaning wantonly and reaching across their bond as if he could make the real Sasuke come to him. God, the image of Sasuke dropping his work to come fuck him was hardening his dick even more. Despite his efforts Sasuke didn't materialize, so Naruto settled on channeling his pleasure and desire across to him, refusing to see the results until he finished.

His feet braced on the floor, Naruto felt heat grow in his gut, coiling in his scrotum and cock tighter and tighter. His muscles tensed in anticipation, trembling with strain. Fantasy Sasuke's lips caressed and sucked at his tip, tonguing his leaking slit and tasting him. Naruto's face contorted as a guttural name crawled out his throat and into the room as he imagined. He absentmindedly realized that shit had been loud, but the thought was forcibly knocked away as fingers slipped behind his sac and pressed against his perineum. The man hadn't even taken him fully into his mouth and Naruto was already  _so close_.

Black eyes looked up to meet his own and Fantasy Sasuke licked his bottom lip. He spoke. Naruto didn't know what the fuck he had just said, but the sound of his accent purring sensually, whispering his name in a way that oozed verbal sex was enough. The intense pleasure mounted and peaked, cascading over him and inundating Naruto in its wake as he came with a keening cry. Cum spurted out, creating a mess over his hands and falling onto a not-so-happy Fantasy Sasuke.

That smoldering gaze held promises and threats Naruto knew the real Sasuke would be capable of delivering on, and holy fuck did he craving it.

Still pumping, Naruto paced himself, riding the euphoria down as his heart rate struggled to return to normal. The overly sensitive skin stung, but the pain was nothing compared to the nirvana he was floating in. He felt drugged, drowning happily as a blissful cloud of warmth surrounded him. Tight muscles had relaxed, leaving him delightfully exhausted.

The warmness soon dissipated, leaving him with the unpleasant feeling of cooling cum on his skin and the ache of his ass on the wooden chair. He smirked , gathering Kleenex to wipe the mess up, double checking to make sure he got all of it. As nice as that had been, he'd much rather have the real Sasuke.

Naruto hummed as he cleaned up, tossed the dirty Kleenex away, and picked out a few pieces of clothes from his closet. A long hot shower would be perfect right about now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. Happy Holidays
> 
> -note, that is not how you deal with cardiac arrest. CPR helps, but going to a hospital helps even more ;)


	4. Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get the popcorn ready and buckle your fucking seat belts. It's time for some Jaeger and Bijuu action.

It wasn't like he had drawn out his shower on purpose or anything, but Naruto arrived back at his room right when Sasuke reappeared.

Whistling cheerfully, Naruto ignored the raven and entered, choosing instead to comb his hair haphazardly and gather his dirty clothes for a trip to the laundry room. He could feel Sasuke's heavy stare boring into him as he moved around the room, could feel waves of irritation wafting over the link, but Naruto turned a blind eye.

If Sasuke was going to mention what happened, that was up to him. Naruto looked forward to it, but bided his time. He had laundry to do after all.

Once he gathered enough items, Naruto dumped them into the basket he set on the bed. Casually, he then decided to fix his bed sheets, almost humming as he worked. Sasuke was still dead silent behind him. Unable to help himself as the tension dragged on, Naruto spoke up. "So, how was that thing you were doing with Kakashi and Iruka? It went well, I hope?"

Oh the pressure was absolutely delicious. Naruto nudged the link discreetly, further tuning in on it to catch everything.

"The Pan Pacific Defense Corps station in Russia wanted an overview of my work thus far in Tokyo, and I was tasked on doing it orally." Sasuke answered coolly. He had a dark edge to his tone, one that sent shivers down Naruto's spine and made his blood hum.

"Little did I know to expect to get interrupted in the middle of my presentation."

"Oh?" Naruto murmured coyly, his eyes narrowed slyly. "What happened?"

A hand that was not his own threaded through the hairs on the back of Naruto's head and yanked back, keeping a tight fist up against his skull. Naruto made a noise of surprise in the back of his throat and moved to pull away but froze when Sasuke's other hand slid over to his waist, resting on the inside of the bone of his right hip. "I think you know very well what happened."

"You'll have to remind me." Naruto breathed, his heart rate kicking up. He twitched as Sasuke leaned closer and his nose skirted the edge of Naruto's ear before shifting down to nose the cords of his neck. His touch was feather light, raising goosebumps on Naruto's arms as the blond arched closer.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

_That fucking accent_. Naruto licked his lips, fighting the urge to twist around and smash his mouth against Sasuke's. Muscles strained with the effort to keep still; his hands were fisted, trembling. "Uh…um."

"Hn." Sasuke's hand snaked from his hip to his abdomen, tugging ever so softly on the fabric of Naruto's shirt near his bellybutton. Naruto's stomach rolled in a mixture of fear and arousal, wanting to press into the touch. Lips replaced a nose and gentle caresses were peppered along the nape of his neck and he struggled not to arch his back into the sensation. "I felt you in my mind," The raven murmured, "as if I could just reach out and touch you. I saw exactly what you were picturing, could feel everything."

Men don't whimper. Naruto is a man, therefore, he does not whimper. That little sound was not a whimper, no fucking way. And it did not happen as Sasuke played with the button on his jeans, tugging and threatening to pop it open.

"Do that again, and see if I don't kill you," Sasuke warned darkly, his words made less sinister as he brought up a knee to shove between Naruto's legs, his body lining up perfectly to his. The sweet sensation of Sasuke's crotch pressing into his ass had Naruto ready to drop his pants and rip off Sasuke's. "I happen to have excellent self-control, but you're playing a very dangerous game Naruto."

And suddenly he was gone, leaving Naruto humiliatingly hard and aching. "You're a bastard," He hissed, his body feeling cold and hot, itching to fuck. He'd been denied too long.

"Hn. Says the one who was masturbating about me knowing I can tell."

He composed himself, planning on doing it again. "Well you know you could help out with that." He replied snippily.

"I'm well aware I can," Sasuke said smugly. "You lack creativity in you fantasies. Too easy, really."

Naruto's thoughts came to a screeching halt. He stared at Sasuke, forgetting his discomfort. "Are you telling me I'm the boring one?"

"Boring. Inexperienced. Same thing."

He sputtered. "Back the fuck up, I'm not inexperienced!"

"Didn't take you long, either. Let me guess, it's been a while?"

Naruto could tell his usually tan skin was now crimson, especially on his face. He bit back a lightning fast retort and settled on a different tactic, forcing a casual shrug. "Not giving yourself much credit. But I could have been exaggerating. The real thing might not live up to expectations."

It was Sasuke's turn to be offended, but he did a helluva better job of hiding it. Naruto sensed the offence over their link, but it subsequently vanished. Sasuke was learning to hide.

"I'd hate to be disappointed," Naruto continued, glancing forlornly to the side. He was virtually poking the bear, and damn if he didn't wish Sasuke would snap. "As such, it would be better to stick to my fantasies."

"Taking shots at my sexual prowess? Is that supposed to make me want to fuck you?" Sasuke deadpanned, his real mood given away by the slight twitch of his eyebrows.

"Ah, well, I wouldn't be opposed to be proven wrong," Naruto countered, a wolfish grin arching his lips. "Though I doubt you could even come close to—"

Naruto winced as he was interrupted by an earsplitting alarm that killed their banter and his boner.

BREACH IN PROGRESS. ZEUS HAMMER REPORT TO BAY A-8, LEVEL 42. SAND TSUNAMI REPORT TO BAY A-10, LEVEL 42. SHINOBI ALPHA REPORT TO BAY B-2, LEVEL 36. BLUE WINTER REPORT TO BAY B-6, LEVEL 30. NEBULA CLOUD, REPORT TO BAY C-5, LEVEL 15. THIS IS AN EMERGENCY, ALL REMAINING PILOTS REPORT TO—

The call was broken up by a shrieking spike of static, which then cut off as Naruto and Sasuke were suddenly swamped in black.

"The power went out? What the hell?" Naruto shuffled in the dark, bumping past Sasuke to open the door.

"Is there normally a call to nearly everyone during a breach?" Sasuke asked, somewhere behind him. Naruto shook his head before remembering Sasuke couldn't see him.

"No, I've never heard them request so many. There must have been a higher number of Bijuu crawling through. But why did the power go?" Naruto stepped out into the hallway, hearing nothing but his footsteps tapping on the grated floor and whirr of the air conditioning shutting down. "Hello?"

He felt Sasuke latch onto the back of his shirt and tug him back. "Naruto, wait. It's not prudent to go waltzing out in the dark."

That's when the screaming began. The startling crunch of falling concrete and the roar of screeching metal filled the air, erupting around them and hiding the shrieks. It was the last thing Naruto heard before everything was silenced.

**xXx**

Groggy and confused, Naruto came back to his body slowly. He felt strangely numbed and heavy, teetering on lethargic. Without opening his eyes, he could tell he was lying on a stiff cot somewhere that was brightly lit, judging from the amount of light seeping through his eyelids. Muddled sounds drifted in and out of his ears, but he was unable to comprehend. His throat felt dry; Naruto swallowed and realized he was pretty dehydrated. He should get some water. Gathering his wits, he tried to move, but a sudden hand placed on his chest stopped him.

"Dude, don't move."

"Ki-?"

Naruto grunted, scrunching his eyes as he forced them to open. Kiba was sitting on the grassy ground next to him. His brown hair was black with matted blood, his uniform covered in a layer of dirt and dust. "What happened?" Naruto whispered, taking in the multiple cots and bodies placed all around him. Some bodies were moving, others completely still.

Medics in ruined scrubs were running around, shouting orders as more bodies were dragged into the large tent they were currently housed in. More and more people were crowding in, all sporting various injuries and wounds. Screams and cries filled the air. It was a war zone.

Kiba bowed his head and rested his forehead on the heel on the palm of his hand. "Five different Bijuu emerged from the Breach. The United States send out some Jaegers of their own from California, but four Bijuus slipped past them after one of their Jaegers was taken down. I was up in the LOCCENT with the other engineers doing proficiency tests and a category seven Shichibi appeared here. It shot some sort of EMP that fried the computers and knocked the power off before it came on land to wreck shit up."

Naruto felt cold. "We got hit?"

The brunet grimaced. "Really fucking hard. Half the Jaegers are in inoperable states, what with computers offline and damaged. Many Rangers were hurt as the Shichibi stormed the base. We couldn't fight back."

"What's our status now?" Naruto shuffled to his feet, despite Kiba's warnings. He disregarded his body's cries, knowing he had gotten lucky.

"The Shichibi has gone to the mainland, rampaging through China. Last I heard it had reached Xi'an. They're at least in a better state than we are."

"You said category seven?"

"Biggest we've seen."

"Shit."

"No kidding."

"What's protocol? What do we do now?" Naruto limped out of the tent, followed by Kiba. He skirted around the medics and various people running around.

"Everyone's barely keeping up with the injured. I was on evac and rescue for a few hours while you were out cold." Kiba nodded to the right. "We're working in teams to save as many people as we can while maintain some sense of order. The base is close to collapsing in some areas, and there were others who didn't make it out in time."

Worry hit Naruto like a bucket of icy water. He cleared his throat. "Iruka?"

"He's frontlining the evac squad right now. He and the Marshalls are working on a plan of attack as well. We're down, but we don't know if we're safe from the other three Bijuus that slipped past the US. Unknown categories and types." Kiba ran a hand through his hair, drawing it back and wiping off blood.

"What was the category of the one the US managed to take care of?"

"Seven." Kiba almost whispered, confirming Naruto's suspicion. They had three highly dangerous Bijuu crawling around undetected, and no way of knowing if they were next. It was the worst possible scenario.

"We should see which Jaegers can be up for battle stat, along with which Rangers are in able to fight." Naruto licked his lips, remembering how dry his mouth was and a peculiar sense of worry settling in his chest. "How's Green?"

Kiba seemed to perk up slightly. "She's suffered superficial damage. Your bay was relatively left untouched despite falling equipment and support beams."

Naruto squinted; the feeling of concern was growing, but it wasn't coming from him. "Then she's good for battle." The upmost importance was taking care of the remaining Bijuu to eliminate the chance they could come back and wreck greater havoc. Things could still be salvaged.

"Yea, she's being prepped. I've been hauling overtime with the other engineers on patching up a few more Jaegers, but we can't do much when a lot of the equipment has been rendered useless."

He stiffened. "Jesus, how long was I out?"

Kiba glanced at his watch. "Half a day, at least. Shichbi hit early this morning and it's about to be six."

"Fuck," Naruto cursed, "but better late than never. Sasuke and I can set out….wait, where's Sasuke?" He turned to Kiba, eyes wide.

The brunet glanced around, searching. "My squad pulled you out, but we didn't see Sasuke. Was he with you?"

Full blown panic erupted inside Naruto as he nodded jerkily. "We were talking before…" Something strummed the mental link between them and he froze. Naruto felt it, a light touch that rebounded in his head. Pain and dread glanced across, reaching him. He could pick up small pieces of thoughts. Confusion. Claustrophobia. More pain.

"Naruto?"

The muscles in his legs screamed in protest as Naruto exploded into a dead sprint, fueled by fear and adrenaline that pumped through his body. He shoved past anyone in his path, launching over huge chunks of fallen cement and broken metal beams. He entered the dilapidated base through an opening in fortified wall, breaking the caution tape that had been strung up.

Inside the base was harder to navigate. Entire hallways had collapsed, blocking the familiar paths to his bunk; scales and slime from the Bijuu added to the destruction. The trepidation that the building would cave in mounted as creaks and groans rumbled around him threateningly. Naruto gritted his teeth at the sounds and moved on, trying to reach the raven. Falling material also presented a challenge, forcing Naruto to slow down lest he get done in by an upper level toilet.

He used the link as a compass, focusing on the growing strength as he moved. Naruto ducked and crawled his way deeper into the bunk area as the hallway was no longer passable, scraping his palms on the floor and ripping his clothes on loose metal shards jutting form the walls. As he closed in on the hallway that housed his room, he felt the link tremble. Elation filled him as he realized Sasuke was close.

"Sasuke! SASUKE!" He bellowed, doubling his efforts to reach the raven. Naruto reached a small opening and nimbly jumped onto a huge slab of cement that broke through their room, wincing as his ankle threatened to give. Half of the room was completely gone, with small beams of light shining from the cracks in the ceiling. He cupped his hands around his mouth and took a deep breath, "SASUKE!"

Muffled pounding and thumping reached his ears.

Heart in his throat, Naruto halted. The noise came again, somewhere around him. "Sasuke, is that you?!" Naruto scrambled off the slab, sliding into the adjacent room. Sifting through the debris, Naruto found a pair of armored drivesuit gloves, similar to his own pair. He quickly yanked them on and used them to shove more wreckage around, clearing the space closest to the wall that separated his room. Naruto knew Sasuke was just on the other side, could feel his presence calling to him.

Naruto grabbed a smaller piece of the wall and used as a makeshift mallet, striking the wall over and over. Cracks appeared with each hit, sending down sprays of small pieces of wall. "Sasuke! C'mon! Sasuke!"

It was a few seconds before he heard Sasuke's answering call: another series of thumps, right in front of him. Naruto used a few precious moments to tamp his anxiety down and put more force behind each hit, grunting as his hands ached. If not for the gloves his hands would be bleeding messes. It was a moment later that the wall broke enough for Naruto to be able to jam his hand through the opening. He groped blindly. "Sasuke?"

"Yea." Cold familiar fingers grasped his wrist above the glove and relief flooded him as he the raven spoke. He twisted his hand to grip Sasuke's wrist, squeezing reassuringly before letting go to continue breaking down the wall. He realized Sasuke was trying to break his side as well, working with a metal hammer Naruto recognized as his own. Well there went that Christmas present.

Between the two, the barrier crumbled away, forcing Naruto to scoot back and let the dust settle. He feared the rest of the room would collapse in, trapping Sasuke further. Once it cleared, Sasuke was stepping through, looking worse for wear but alive. Powder and particles whitened his hair as maroon liquid from his shoulder colored his shirt. He spat up a bit of blood, but Naruto could see no other outer injury besides a bleeding gash above Sasuke's eyebrow and a few nicks on his torso.

"You asshole!" Naruto yelled, darting forward to grab Sasuke's shirt and drag him down for a brutal kiss. Once again, the taste of copper and iron flavored the caress, but Naruto could care less. The tumultuous panic within him immediately settled and their link vibrated stronger than ever. Despite that, Naruto couldn't help the need for contact that welled up and ached in every bone in his body.

Sasuke responded instantly, his hands reaching down to grip Naruto tightly to him. He tilted his head and Naruto let the man take control, feeling joyful and immensely relieved. He absentmindedly wondered just how deep they were linked up; the fear of separation and loss felt akin to losing a part of himself. Did it originate from himself or Sasuke?

Sasuke was the first to pull away, gasping for breath. His dark eyes were closed as he rested his scraped forehead on Naruto's shoulder.

"Why am I the asshole?"

Naruto snorted dismissively. "Not gonna lie, you had me worried." He murmured, his arms wrapping around Sasuke as he tucked his head down. He grasped the fabric of Sasuke's shirt in his hands, twisting it in a tight fist.

"Had myself worried when I woke up under rubble." Sasuke answered dryly. "What happened?"

"Long story short, a Bijuu came, we ate shit, and now you and I need to get to Green and beat it the fuck up." He patted Sasuke's arm.

Sasuke lifted his head and took a step back, regaining his composure. "Tall order, considering we didn't even see this coming. I didn't know the Serizawa scale could go that high."

Naruto blinked and his eyebrows lifted. "How do you—"

The raven indicated to his head. "You talked about it with Kiba. I'm picking up traces of that. The Shichibi is in China?"

Jesus, it _was_ like Sasuke could read his mind. Freaky, but strangely reassuring. He didn't mind it. "How bad are you hurt?"

Sasuke did a quick inventory of his injuries. "Not as bad I should be, given the circumstance. Now?"

Naruto nodded. "Now."

**xXx**

"Tch."

Besides Konoha Green, only three other Jaegers were battle ready.

Zeus Hammer, Blue Winter, Quetzalcoatl, and Ragnarok suffered extensive damage, leaving only Sand Tsunami piloted by Elite Ranger siblings Gaara and Temari no Sabaku, Nebula Cloud piloted by Elite Rangers Neji Hyuuga and Rock Lee, and Konoha Green piloted by Ranger Sasuke Uchiha and newly minted Ranger Naruto Uzumaki. Shinobi Alpha was to be commandeered by Kakashi Hatake and Maito Gai, but Gai had been in the mess hall during the attack and had broken a leg and torn a muscle helping other's escape. His replacement was being debated down in the makeshift LOCCENT everyone had scrapped together.

The temporary LOCCENT accommodated in a separate tent and powered by generators was weak at best, with cables and wires snaking all over the floor. The rudimentary command console terminals were struggling with redundancy in their systems, having suffered much damage in the attack, but was trudging along. It fortunately passed the first diagnostic analysis, but more testing was put on standby in the urgency to have the Jaegers up and running. The next attack was imminent and they needed to be prepared as quickly as possible, which meant taking risks.

A techie jolted him as he shoved a breastplate over Naruto's drivesuit. Naruto obligingly raised his arms to give the man room, hiding the pain lancing across his back as he moved. He was injured, but he could handle it. Naruto couldn't afford to back out, nor did he want to. Blue eyes surveyed the damage around them, assessing how long before things would be up and running again. Most of the Rangers and Cadets were outside in the grass, gearing up or gathering equipment. The smell of the ocean breeze and salt mixed with the strong odors of fuel and something metallic.

"I'm surprised everyone made such a big deal about Kakashi getting to choose his co-pilot. He's the head, he knows who would be the best candidate. I mean, he knows the scores."

"Yea, but you know how some people have their heads up their asses. Regardless of the situation we're in, they still argue." Kiba grunted, affixing Naruto's legs with armor, drilling the pieces into place. This wasn't his regular armor, but it would have to do. He scooted to Naruto's other leg. The whirr of a drill behind him alerted him to the spinal clamp being slotted into place.

"Bet you he got pissed." Naruto smiled, as he sensed Sasuke's amusement and confirmation without looking at the raven. A quick dip into Sasuke's memory bank let him access recollections of Kakashi in Russia. Naruto was surprised to see Gai there; no wonder he had been assigned to pilot with Kakashi. They were friends, probably old drift partners before the silver-haired man was elected a Marshall.

"Ha, you should have seen Iruka."

_Oh_? "How bad?"

Kiba grinned. "Mizuki was bitching that his Zeus is down, getting all in Iruka's face about some bullshit and Gai kept having to step between them since Mizuki wouldn't let up. Kakashi was off trying to placate the other Marshalls wanting a piece of action, and then Mizuki said some shit, presumably about you, and Iruka fucking snapped. Decked him right in the mouth and proceeded to beat the ever-loving-fuck out of the slimy bastard. It took Gai, Kakashi, and Inoichi to pull Iruka off 'im, and then Kakashi dragged Iruka away telling everyone he'd chosen him as the co-pilot."

"I would've paid to see that." Naruto laughed, pride in his chest as he imagined Iruka finally shutting the asshole up.

"I would pay to see it again; fucker was on my ass about adjusting Zeus's motion rig because it was too heavy to move. The weights are proportional to the Jaeger. Can't fix stupid."

Naruto snapped on the helmet, locking it in place. The headpiece whirred as a mechanism inside allowed relay gel to slide down the visor. The link twitched and flared; Sasuke was heading for them. "How're we looking?"

"Everything is set to go."

Sasuke suddenly appeared on his right, his helmet tucked under his arm as he strode. He eyed Naruto up and down. "We need to move now."

Kiba lifted a hand to his headset, eyes narrowing and his face paling. "They're requiring all Rangers to be set for engaging two Bijuus headed towards Tokyo, code names: Kyuubi and Hachibi. One aquatic based and the other terrestrial. Sasuke, Naruto, you are to intercept the Kyuubi and Hachibi, alongside Shinobi Alpha and Nebula Cloud. Sand Tsunami and Jaegers from Australia and India will be dealing with an unknown Bijuu making land in the Philippines.

"What happened to the Shichibi?" Naruto questioned, breaking into a jog as everyone snapped to attention to prepare, taking off in masses. Kiba sprinted away as well, heading towards the LOCCENT tent.

"China and Mongolia were able to take it down," Kiba piped up, coming over the intercom in the helmets. "But we've got bigger issues with the Kyuubi. It's a category eight."

**xXx**

The thunder of eight black V-50 Jumphawks cutting through the air was ear-splitting; four were attached to each shoulder of Konoha Green in order to balance the weight of the massive machine as it was flown out of the bay and onto the mainland to save time.

Naruto swayed in his harness, moving with the momentum. He felt uncharacteristically calm, drawing in the peace from Sasuke and using it to focus and control his heart rate before he popped a blood vessel from excitement. The screens before them blinked and displayed a full spectrum view of Japan, actively beeping and humming as data glanced by and focused.

"This is it. Our first fight." He blew out a slow breath and swallowed heavily, shaking his hands out.

Sasuke fiddled with the console by his station, flicking switches and tapping buttons. "Your first. I've been out there already."

"Our first, as in, together," Naruto snorted. "And you've never been up against a category this big."

"No, I haven't." Sasuke smiled, a tiny thing that curled the corner of his mouth. The instrument panels above him clicked as he reached up and turned on the com. "Konoha Green, reaching target zone. Preparing to disengage transport."

Kiba popped in on HUD, looking a bit lost as he tried to handle all the date streaming in. "Reading you loud and clear, Green. You're frontlining the attack, alongside Shinobi Alpha. Nebula Cloud, you are to stay back, engage only when necessary." The answering calls of the other teams streamed in. "Evac was successful; feel free to go nuts."

A hand came out of the corner of the view and swatted the back of Kiba's head. Naruto recognized the whirl of blond hair and grinned. It looked like Ino was fine as well. "Er, I mean, try to limit destruction." Kiba glared off-screen.

"Disengaging transport," Sasuke announced. With the flick of his wrist, the thick cables holding the Jumphawks to Green snapped with a metallic hum, allowing the Jaeger to free-fall. The Jumphawks skyrocketed at the sudden lack of weight. "Activating shock absorbers."

Naruto braced himself for impact as Konoha Green dropped hundreds of feet before landing, creating a storm of dirt and a large crater beneath its feet. "Shit," He breathed one everything stabilized and stopped shaking. Blips went off, signaling no damage taken. The huge booms of the fellow Jaegers landing shook their cabin slightly.

"All neural handshakes at one hundred percent, setting comms link for both teams; open channel. Kyuubi is on a direct path to you, be on the lookout." Kiba waved his hand and disappeared, replaced by streams of data and images.

"Let's do this." Naruto cried, his mouth a bit dry from the cooled air dispensed in his headgear. He felt more than heard Sasuke's agreeing response.

In unison they marched to meet the beast. Each step was jerky and powerful, moving the platform and gears that controlled Konoha Green with ease. The immense robot moved appeared to move slowly as each step covered miles, unapologetically decimating buildings and houses in the way. Everyone was silent the further inland they walked.

"Visibility at zero. Switching to instruments now." Sasuke reported, turning on the flood lights and activating Konoha Green's sensory appliances. Small neon glowing graphs and radar circles appeared on the HUD, beeping as information swamped in.

Kiba's voice pinged in. "Green, Alpha, we're sensing Bijuu signals in your immediate area. Do you have a visual?"

Konoha Green came to a lurching stop, arms braced for a fight. The floodlights from the Jaeger's chest swept the ground, aided by the buzzing aircrafts. The dark of the night was eerily silent and still. "Nothing in sight." Naruto reported, his eyes skirting across the holograms. The radar wasn't picking up anything around them. "Are you sure, I don't see anything."

Kakashi cursed. "It's moving fast."

"Shinobi Alpha, left flank!" Kiba's voice bellowed suddenly.

Up on the HUD, a graphic of the fellow Jaeger appeared right as a giant furred beast launched itself onto the robot, its huge body clinging to the Jaeger like a leech. Shinobi Alpha took the hit with little grace, rebounding quickly and grabbing one of the many tails the Bijuu had.

"Sasuke, we gotta help!" Naruto yelled, anxiously watching the battle. Shinobi Alpha was decking the Bijuu, holding it down and punching with all the force the machinery allowed. The fox creature roared, digging its claws into Shinobi Alpha's chest and puncturing metal. With a powerful kick, it let go and knocked the Jaeger back, stealthily advancing to strike again.

"Tch, watch its movements. Find its weakness." Sasuke ordered, his eyes glued to the HUD. "We'll enter when we have a chance."

"Take your time, we're doing fine." Kakashi's strained voice filled the cabin. "No worries."

"Iruka, you all right?" Naruto called out, jabbing the switch to speak to the other pilots.

"Bit busy, talk later," Iruka responded quickly. "Activating Anti-Bijuu missile launcher!"

Naruto's eyes were glued to the feed as Iruka spawned a virtual launcher holo. Blue and yellow holographs encircled him and Kakashi, shining as they activated the weapons. Naruto absentmindedly wondered how the two managed to drift so perfectly despite only having met recently.

Shinobi Alpha froze mid-battle, its arms drawing back as its chest plates lifted and slid to the side, revealing an impressive rocket bay underneath that rose to the surface with loud clanks. K-Stunner Ramjet missiles gleamed in the lights, locking into place as they were fired with the flick of a switch.

The rockets burst out, streaking and spinning through the air before hitting the Kyuubi's furry side with a fiery explosion. The attack hurled the Bijuu back and sent it rolling, causing it to cry out in anger and pain. The orange fur was singed, smoking. Shinobi Alpha's chest plates quickly snapped back in place and the Jaeger was already moving in for another attack.

Kyuubi darted into a run, spun on its hind legs and used its tails to deal devastating blows to Shinobi Alpha's outer armor, even as the Jaeger rocked into a defensive position. Shrapnel flew off as weaker metals were ripped from the Jaeger. The Bijuu's enormous jaw clamped over the pilot compartment, cracking the plexiglass that shielded the pilots.

"Shit, we're moving in," Sasuke commanded, no longer able to sit and watch. "Let's go."

"Fuck yea!" Naruto yelled.

Together as one, Konoha Green entered the fight. Inside the machine, Naruto and Sasuke reached out; Konoha Green grabbed a few of Kyuubi's tails and dug in its heels. Motors whirring and gears locking, the hulking metal robot built up enough force to rip one of the Bijuu's tails off, chucking it before grabbing another and attempting to do the same.

Screaming, the deadly Kyuubi released Shinobi Alpha and turned to Konoha Green, grabbing the arms that held its tails and using its claws to sever vital machinery. It roared, globs of spit leaking from its muzzle.

"Shit, it's got us!" Naruto growled, arms raised and trembling as he and Sasuke struggled to be free. Grappling, Konoha Green stumbled back, answering blow for blow the best it could.

Huge metallic arms appeared on the sides of Kyuubi's head, grabbing it in a headlock and pulling the category 8 back. Shinobi Alpha was back in the fray, dragging the Bijuu away.

Released, Konoha Green recovered quickly. "Little damage, nothing we can't handle," Sasuke reported, his accent deepening. He raised his arm and Naruto mirrored him. "Readying Plasma Cannon."

WEAPONS SYSTEM ENGAGED: PLASMA CANNON ACTIVATED

"Ah yea!" Naruto shouted. Konoha Green copied smoothly, its fist transforming into a barrel housing with four symmetrically amplifier lens arrays around a circular gap that extended up into the Jaeger's arms. Projections rotated on the wrist and locked the plasma cannon gear in place. Vapor and static flashes crackled around it as it powered up.

"Fire!"

The Jaeger jolted with each deafening salvo. The first shot hit the Bijuu in the chest, followed by a volley that was aimed at its midsection. Shinobi Alpha slipped out the way of the attack, its own cannon appearing and loading up.

"Watch out, it's not going down!"

Surprised by Iruka's sudden outburst, Naruto and Sasuke ceased firing; Konoha Green's plasma cannon shifted back into its gauntlet. "What?"

The Bijuu shook off the strikes, growling and baring its sharp teeth. Eight tails twirled in the air behind it as it moved to create a triangle with Konoha Green and Shinobi Alpha, limping as blood steadily dripped down its injured side. Kyuubi struck a defensive pose before it darted towards the other's Jaeger.

Naruto felt the move and copied it, Konoha Green following as they intercepted the move. Drawing back a massive fist, Sasuke initiated the elbow rocket, ramming tons of cold steel into the Kyuubi's side. Bracing its feet and shifting gears for more power, Konoha Green repeated the punch with its left hand, sending the Bijuu sailing back hundreds of feet.

They had to keep the momentum up. Naruto's legs marched, powering the rest of Konoha Green as he and Sasuke rushed in to deliver another deadly attack. Raising both hands high, the Jaeger's fists came down heavily onto the Kyuubi's back, flesh giving way underneath the brutal blow.

Naruto yelled as they unleashed a barrage of attack, melding his and Sasuke's styles of fighting into a unique and devastating combination. His own raw power with Sasuke's refined skills pummeled the fox creature, driving it down. He felt so alive, brimming with danger!

Its muzzle torn open and bleeding profusely, the Kyuubi reeled away, stunned by the blows. As if gaining strength from its injuries, the Kyuubi suddenly leapt to its feet and sank its teeth into Konoha Green's raised arm, nearly biting clean through as it tore and twisted, destroying the elbow rocket mechanism. Electrical discharge flared and oil drizzled from the limb as it flailed in the maw of the beast.

"Ah fuck!"

The Kyuubi chewed. Sirens blared.

WARNING, SEVERE RIGHT ARM DAMAGE

"Shinobi we could use some help," Sasuke growled, his arm stinging in pain as the Jaeger rerouted the signals to his circuitry suit, heating his sensors and burning his arm. Konoha Green's left hand came down repeatedly, bashing at the Kyuubi's skull creating several dents in the orbital bone that did nothing to deter the monster.

Sasuke spasmed and cried out wordlessly as the pain intensified with Naruto wincing as the sensations traveled through their neural link. Naruto reached out

frantically.

Konoha Green grabbed the Kyuubi's muzzle and tightened its grip monstrously, cracking bones as it powered motors to rip the fox's head off or at least try. One the Bijuu's forelimbs came up and battered Konoha Green's arm away, raking down the length and creating deep crevices in the metal appendage.

Distress signals and alarms went off, turning the light green atmosphere in the Conn-Pod red and orange.

"WARNING, LEFT ARM DAMAGE," the AI repeated out over the booming alerts, cheerfully disembodied. The teeth had broken through the outer armor, cutting off the liquid neural pathways that lead up to the Jaeger's interface.

Kiba's voice came through. "Shinobi, Hachibi is headed right for you! Nebula Cloud is down! Konoha Green, you're suffering a lot of damage!"

A quick glance at Konoha Green's sonar radar showed an incoming shape, speeding towards them like a bullet. The small icon that indicated the fellow Jaeger had blinked out, signaling a loss or broken robot.

Naruto's mouth dropped open in shock. "When the fuck did Neb—"

The Kyuubi lurched back, taking with it Konoha Green's flailing right arm. The jerking limb dangled uselessly as diamond-sharp teeth continued to grind on it before it was spat to the side. Seemingly intelligent eyes appeared to mock them. The bleeding stump where Konoha Green had ripped off a tail twitched.

Naruto felt suspicion through their mental connection and realized Sasuke was analyzing the Kyuubi as if it were capable of higher thinking.

"On it," Kakashi's voice replied, drawing Naruto's mind back into the fight. He was already lining Shinobi Alpha to intercept the oncoming octopus-like monster rampaging towards them. "Sasuke, Naruto, watch—"

The shriek of static erupted over the com, cutting the man off and the roaring screech of alarms exploded even louder.

Konoha Green's chest-plates were torn off and the Jaeger was blown back as Kyuubi opened its jaw, braced itself and coughed up a massive ball of swirling black energy that struck the Jaeger head on.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Kiba's frantic voice filtered through the static that now streamed steadily from the com system. "Any more damage and your own bodies will suffer!"

"WARNING. RIGHT AND LEFT ARM DAMAGE. JAEGER FUCTIONALITY AT 79% AND DECREASING."

The seasoned Jaeger managed not to fall over, gathering its balance as the pilots inside got their bearings while shaken around like rag dolls in the motion rig. The vulnerable inner torso was now exposed. The monster could tear away at that weak area and get to the main central turbine and ruin them.

"Naruto, watch the chest!" Sasuke yelled, dropping his controller. His arm was no longer working, meaning Naruto was basically now in the head pilot seat.

"What do we do!?" Naruto shouted, struggling to decipher Kyuubi's next move and trying to keep an eye on Shinobi Alpha. The other Jaeger was struggling with Hachibi, but was still managing to hang on. His eyes slid back to Kyuubi as the monstrous fox stilled and watched them.

"Naruto, initiate the chain sword," Sasuke commanded, coming from inside his head rather than his communication system. "Aim for the heart." Naruto flicked his wrist and Sasuke moved simultaneously.

CHAIN SWORD ACTIVIATED

Konoha Green's left gauntlet slipped away, immediately replaced by a long whip crafted out of serrated metal segments woven together with high-tension cables. The whip stiffened and the segments snapped together, rattling with the singing of metal against metal as they linked. The statistics and power of the gleaming weapon popped up on the HUD.

SWORD DEPLOYED

"Come and get some, you fuck," Naruto hissed, fear striking his body as the counter of Konoha Green's performance continued to drop. He could feel the dissonance and the minutely slower reactions on behalf of the machine. This couldn't go on much longer.

JAEGER AT 62% FUNCTIONALITY AND DECREASING. DANGER.

"Defenses down!" Iruka's panicked cry crackled over the alarms.

Naruto's head whipped to Shinobi Alpha and saw the Hachibi pounding at the Jaeger, huge tentacles dealing incredible damage to the robot as they tangled with each limb. Every time Shinobi Alpha tried to defend the Hachibi's arms would knocked the Jaeger back and rips pieces of outer armor off, piece by piece. They were in deep trouble.

Moving instinctively, Naruto twisted in his platform and Konoha Green and Sasuke copied; the tensioners racked into full utility with the roar of energy, keeping the blade steady and locked as the Jaeger's arm raised high in the air. In seconds, the lethal chain sword was cleanly slicing through the meaty tentacles holding onto Shinobi Alpha.

Spurts of acidic blue blood jetted from the severed stumps, painting the ground. The Hachibi let out a deafening angry squeal and danced away, spreading more blood that steamed. Shinobi Alpha struggled to stand, clearly suffering from torn suspensions and motors.

Kyuubi slunk back and took the chance to leap onto Konoha Green's back, driving the nearly two thousand ton Jaeger into the dirt. Its talons scraped at Konoha Green's spine and torso, splitting the liquid-synapse conduit shielding. The exterior armor didn't stand a chance and the Jaeger jerked with each clawing, losing essential connections. Fuel reserves were punctured, spilling black fluid across the ground as Kyuubi continued to claw.

CODE BLUE. JAEGER AT 46% FUNCTIONALITY AND DECREASING. DANGER, NERUAL NECROSIS MAY OCCUR. LOSING POWER. COOLANT CHAMBERS DAMAGED, OVER-HEATING WITHIN REACTOR.

Never had Naruto known such fear and horror as when the cool air of the night spread over them as the Bijuu ripped into their Conn-Pod. Circuits flared and blinked out as electrical power was denied.

HULL HAS BEEN BREACHED.

He panicked.

"Naruto—"

Konoha Green followed his fear, reacting as if it were sentient. Cork-screwing on its hips with the power of barely functioning hyper-torque motor relays, Konoha Green's upper body turned in a snap, driving the chain sword heavily across Kyuubi's face.

The monster fox bit down on the blade, stopping its path mid-slice. More blood poured down, mixing with Konoha Green's spilled oil and lubricants.

Naruto let out a wordless cry as he slammed his hand down on the console right as Sasuke whipped his left hand back. The chain sword detached with a sharp screech of metal, and transformed back into a gauntlet. The machinery stuttered and jammed, too bent and twisted to slide back into its housing.

Unable to get much leverage on the ground, the sword-less and battered limb sailed through the air, puncturing itself on the end of the blade as it forced it down into the Kyuubi's face.

CODE BLUE. JAEGER FUNCTIONALITY AT 33% AND DECREASING. LEFT ARM DAMAGE. RIGHT ARM DAMAGE. DANGER, NEURAL NECROSIS MAY OCCUR. CODE RED, JA—

Small thuds pelted the cockpit, and Naruto realized the Jumphawks were lending help. But what could bullets do to the Bijuu?

Konoha Green's arm pulled back, severing more machinery as the blade did its job. The hulking mass of metal slowly got to its feet as Kyuubi went berserk, trying to rip out the sword but cuttings its forelimbs in the process.

"It won't hold." Sasuke spoke up, sweat pouring down his face and fear racing through his veins. "The tension cables need to be attached to hold the shape."

"Do you think the cannons still work?" Naruto swallowed heavily, his arm trembling as pain from the attack assaulted it. "It might be the last chance that we have since Green isn't going to hold out much longer."

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Sasuke shrug, his gaze locked on the Bijuu. "It's worth a shot."

Naruto toggled the Plasma Cannon for his arm and held his breath, all the while eyeing the Kyuubi that had calmed down and had ripped out Konoha Green's blade from its head and thrown it down. Despite having half of its face mutilated, the Bijuu was still fearsome and _still standing_.

PLASMA CANNONS NON-RESPONSIVE.

"Fuck!" Naruto shouted, desperately working the console to find another working weapon. Beside him, Sasuke flicked his own switches.

S-11 DARK MATTER PULSE LAUNCHER NON-RESPONSIVE

ELBOW ROCKET NON-RESPONSIVE

"Shit, nothing's working anymore!"

"Too much damage." Sasuke growled, his arms still burning badly from earlier attack.

"Konoha Green, duck!"

Naruto was shoved down as Sasuke led the move and dropped down; over their open cockpit, a fully functional fist from the Mark VI Shinobi Alpha whistled by, striking the oncoming and sluggish Hachibi that was sneaking up on injured Konoha Green.

Its carbon-nanotube edged Sting blades deployed, the Jaeger made impressive quick work of the Hachibi, ending what Konoha Green had started. The already severely injured Hachibi was finished.

"Anyone want some sushi?" Kakashi spoke up, unnaturally light-hearted in the tense situation.

"Naruto, Sasuke, what are your readings?" Iruka added, speaking quickly.

"Everything's basically shot to shit and the Kyuubi is still vertical." Naruto flicked his wrist and brought Shinobi Alpha into full view. Their Jaeger was in a bad state as well, legs severely damaged, but at least still had operating arms.

"We're at twenty percent functionality." Sasuke reported. "I give it five minutes before we're out."

"That's all we'll need." Kakashi hummed. "Konoha Green, it's your time to shine."

Naruto snorted. "I thought we were already shining."

"Finish the highest category Bijuu on record and you'll shine for life."

"Unless more come right after this one." Sasuke added tonelessly. "Doubt that Kyuubi's the last one we'll see of this caliber."

"Then you'll just have to keep fighting until every single one is dead." Kakashi said easily. "Which you can't do if you fail here."

"You don't say." Naruto laughed uneasily. He licked his lips and took a deep, calming breath. A brief nudge at their connection and Naruto was ready. "Better late than never, anyways. Let's finish this."

CODE BLUE. JAEGER AT 13% FUNCTIONALITY AND DECREASING. DANGER, ALL SYSTEMS CRITICAL. NEURAL DAMAGE IMMINENT.

A giant blur or orange whizzed by them and the air around them trembled with its roar. A deafening snap rang out after the cry. The ground shook.

Naruto blinked. "What the…"

"It's attacking!" Kiba screamed over the com, they cry of panicked techies almost overpowering him. "Shinobi Alpha is down! I repeat, Shinobi Alpha is down! Kyuubi has sounded!"

The other Jaeger was halved, broken like a cheap plastic toy with its upper torso lying hundreds of feet away from its lower part. Kakashi and Iruka radioed in, injured but alive.

Konoha Green was on its own.

CODE BLLUE, JAEGER AT 9% FUNCTIONALITY AND DECREASING. ALL SYSTEMS CRITICAL.

Konoha Green shuddered as it backpedaled, turning to face the huge furred beast that was stalking towards it.

The Kyuubi stood up on its hind legs and swatted its forelimbs through the air, taking out several of the Jumphawks that were trying to help. The pilot's screams echoed through the com before silencing permanently in a fiery explosion.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" Naruto cried out. There was literally nothing they could do now. Konoha Green wouldn't be able to make it. "LOCCENT, what do we do!?"

The center was unresponsive. Communications were no longer working; they were alone.

Sasuke's gear clanked as he stilled, reaching out to Naruto with his mind. "Naruto."

A scary sense of calm and conviction leaked into Naruto's cognizance and body as he and Sasuke were connected with unparalleled strength. He knew what the raven meant immediately.

CODE BLUE, JAEGER AT 7% FUNCTIONALITY AND DECREASING. ALL SYSTEMS CRITICAL.

They ran for all it was worth. "GAAHHHH!" Naruto roared, his vocal cords hurting with the effort. He could hear Sasuke yelling with him as Konoha Green's barely functioning arm wrapped around the midsection of the flailing Kyuubi, locking it in place the best it could.

"Keep running!" Sasuke yelled, his legs threatening to give with each step as the heavy weight of the harness took its toll, deeply bruising his wrists and ankles. The machinery was struggling to respond. Thank god they were on an island rather than the mainland. "We're almost there!"

The Conn-Pod was almost knocked completely off as the Kyuubi slammed its head down and tried to rip the cabin off, clawing away and digging further in. The Jaeger jerked as more chunks of its machinery were torn away frantically. The Kyuubi was weakening, but so was the Jaeger.

Unrelenting and still fighting, Naruto and Sasuke held on, dragging the beast into the cold, churning salty water of the Pacific Ocean. Had they been fighting the Hachibi, this would have been pointless. Konoha Green marched on, water seeping in as ports were unable to shut. Its movement turned sluggish, hindered by the friction with the water.

CODE BLUE, JAEGER AT 5% FUNCTIONALITY AND DECREASING. ALL SYSTEMS CRITICAL. WATER DAMAGE, DANGER—

The Kyuubi was nearly free, only being held down by the momentum of Konoha Green pitching forward and sinking down on top of it.

"Don't let go." Sasuke ordered, rerouting as much strength as their Jaeger could manage into its last arm. The panels beside him were faintly beeping, losing power. The few remaining digits able to function dug into the Kyuubi's pelt, holding on fast.

Water imploded into the cabin in strong jets, quickly overtaking them. Machinery short-circuited and cut off, leaving them in the icy and wet darkness. They thumps of Kyuubi struggling and failing followed them down, slowing the deeper they fell. A few seconds later and they stopped completely.

Naruto breathed heavily, feeling the water rise to his toes to his neck in an instant. He fought to disengage, but the straps were locked in place, and his limbs unable to be free. Was this it? Water rose above his head, seeping into his helmet. He held his breath and kept struggling, but his lungs began to burn and his movements were sluggish.

No, there was no way he was going to die here. Not when he had hundreds of people to protect. Not here, not y—

_Not yet_. _We still have a third round._

Sasuke's hands were suddenly touching his helmet, pulling it off before shoving a tube into his mouth. Instinctively, Naruto sucked and pure, sweet oxygen filled his lungs. He clutched the tube. Thank Christ for the emergency tanks issued after a number of pilots died from drowning.

He felt Sasuke's hands sliding down his body, ripping his gear off and freeing him. How the fuck had Sasuke gotten free first? Shoving the thought aside for later, Naruto breathed deeply one last time before pressing the tube to Sasuke's face, end bent to conserve the gas.

Once he was certain Sasuke took a breath, he began to swim. He drifted up, feeling around the ceiling in the blackness of the cockpit. The opening in the back of Konoha Green's cockpit turned out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing them to escape the sinking Jaeger easily in what would have been a certain death trap.

Naruto swam up with all his might, keeping a tight mental grip on their bond as he moved his body mechanically. Everything hurt; his lungs were once again burning, his muscles aching from the battle, his wrists and ankles from the motion rig, his skin from the sensory overload— but all that didn't matter as he kicked and speared through the inky black water.

Sasuke was just as hurt, but was managing to stay right by his side, unconsciously encouraging Naruto keep going. They were in this together.

The water lightened in color. He could see faint blue light leaking through, breaking the black surrounding them. They were going to make it. They had won.

__________________________________________

Naruto's chest burned as he rested on the floor of the Jumphawk, hand clutching Sasuke's ankle as someone pressed a plastic mask to his face and wrapped a plastic neck brace around his throat. His lungs rejoiced with the pure oxygen. "Ya know, they should make escape pods or something," He blearily opened one eye, reaching one exhausted arm to hold the mask in place. There were a group of medical professionals prodding and poking at his and Sasuke's wounds, applying temporary antibiotics and creams to the burns on their skin from the sensory overload. It seemed whenever he and Sasuke were together, they ended up hurt. "Thank god you knew how to swim."

Sasuke laughed, a hearty, cough-inducing cackle that caused him more pain than mirth. Soon choking, he received a mask of his own. "I'll teach you." He grunted.

Elated that he finally got Sasuke to laugh, Naruto lifted his head awkwardly and grinned, idiotically pleased. One of the nurses chided him brusquely, wanting him to lie still so he acquiesced. "Sweet." He held up a thumb, before his arm caved from enervation and flopped to his side. He let his head drop back and closed his eyes, soaking in the warm blankets they packed around him. The rumble of the chopper blades and the beeping of machinery was soothing to his tired body.

The remaining chunks of his waterlogged drivesuit were peeled away, stinging when they pulled at his burnt skin. Naruto hissed but didn't have it in him to complain outright.

He felt bone-achingly exhausted, wanting nothing more than to curl up in his bed and sleep for days. Sasuke's approval of his desires floated through his thoughts and Naruto brazenly adjusted them, including the raven in his bed. The approval increased, bringing a drained, beaming smile to his face. He disregarded the fact that his bed was more than likely under a mass of concrete. It ruined the illusion.

The smile suddenly vanished as Naruto's eyes shot open and he blinked once. "We're gonna need a new Jaeger."

**-TBC-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was hella fun to write :D I might expand it; what say you?  
> If you enjoyed this please check out my other work, you might find something else to like.  
> Feedback is greatly appreciated and thanks for reading!


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